NaturistMusings

Oldest in the USA

2008-08-12T19:16:00.001-07:00

Caliente Homeowners Fight Back: De-Swing This Place!

2008-06-21T08:07:00.000-07:00

Caliente is handed a task list

By Chuin-Wei Yap, Times Staff Writer
In print: Saturday, June 21, 2008

LAND O'LAKES — An attorney for 351 property owners at Caliente Resort & Spa has laid down a list of conditions for the nudist resort to repair its reputation or face a lawsuit.

Calling it a way to "open the door for dialogue" between the resort and its homeowners, Anne Hathorn, of the Clearwater firm of Becker & Poliakoff, said the resort must cut off ties with Web sites that promote the swinger lifestyle, tighten control on the use of Caliente's name in event advertisements and where the ads are distributed, and get Caliente reinstated in the American Association for Nude Recreation.

Caliente Resort said it plans to keep on marketing to those it calls "nontraditional nudists."

Caliente was embroiled in controversy last month when the association temporarily suspended its membership and opened an investigation into sexually charged monthly parties at Caliente organized by Aahz Party Lifestyle Group, a "lifestyle," or swingers, group with Caliente's blessing.

The association promotes family-friendly nudism. Its investigation puts at stake Caliente's access to marketing assistance and membership subsidies for tourists, among other advantages.

Caliente is not just a resort. It is also a full-time home for hundreds of people, many of whom objected to the swinger parties, called "Swingfest." They hired Hathorn, who wrote on June 10 to R. Gale Porter, Caliente's attorney, demanding the resort clean up its own image.

"If the reputation of the club changes to something more risque, people will worry about bringing their kids," Hathorn said Friday. "The board wanted to open the door for dialogue and come to a reasonable resolution. So far, we haven't heard back."

Angye Fox, Caliente's spokeswoman, said Friday that the resort is a family-friendly place with rules that create a safe environment, but the resort refused to scale back what it called a brand campaign focused on "nontraditional nudists."

"Caliente has an aggressive marketing plan that targets outside the traditional nudist clientele," she said. "This has created dissatisfaction with a minority of homeowners in the Caliente community. Caliente intends to move forward in expanding our brand to nontraditional nudists and people who want to enjoy occasional skinny-dipping in luxury both here and at our resort in the Dominican Republic."

Hathorn acknowledged in her letter that "the resort has recently taken (actions) to alleviate the members' concerns, including withdrawing the resort's direct participation in Swingfest and continuing to communicate with the (property owners' board) about its concerns."

But she warned of legal consequences.

"The board of directors has a fiduciary duty to act on behalf of the (homeowners) association members, and the board will not hesitate to do so in this regard, to whatever extent is necessary, including legal action for violation" of the declaration of restrictions and covenants for Caliente, Hathorn wrote.

"They will realize they need to work together," Hathorn said Friday. "It's in everyone's best interests for the two entities to work together."

Chuin-Wei Yap can be reached at cyap@sptimes.com or (813) 909-4613.

Caliente: Throw the Book at Them

2008-06-07T07:22:00.000-07:00

News of the suspension of Caliente Resort in Florida hit the net this week. AANR has suspended the resort due to their open catering of sexual deviants (swingers).

This is a radical departure from what might be called the naturist/nudist ideal: non-sexual social nudity, accompanied by body-acceptance. Sexualized nudity always rejects body acceptance since attraction is selective (and rejective).

Caliente is not alone. It is always disturbing to see sexualization of nudity, and NW will publish credible reports of the same. Place your report in comments, and if I can confirm it I will publish it.

I call upon the Naturist Society to also make a statement regarding Caliente, and to join with AANR and clothesfree.com. This letter is now on their website:

An Open Letter to All Nudist Resorts...

A few nudist resorts are going into a direction that has caused many to no longer recommend them. We also will no longer recommend some resorts in response to their sexually explicit ads we have seen.

Why sexualize something that is not sexual? Especially since we are already fighting the false notion that nudity equals sex. Why fuel the flames ourselves? Of course, we believe the human form is neither immoral nor inappropriate and endorse the culture of positive body acceptance. But we protest the “pornification” of the human body. There is a line to not cross and it is simple where it is drawn.

We need to set a good example! People will discover that nudism is good for the whole family and allows everyone, including children, to have a better body image, learn respect and have more self esteem. Present yourself as an exemplary naturist resort by fully abiding by all the standards of naturist behavior. Keep sexuality where it belongs, in private. Don't mix it with nude recreation and cause others who are just discovering it to leave.

Nude beaches and resorts are typically family-friendly places. Children benefit from the experience through improved self-image and confidence. But if we blur the lines between sex and nudity we will not gain society's respect and could lose many of our rights.

The core of our philosophy must be strong.

We believe swingers and others seeking sex is the biggest threat to nudism. If the "nude equals sex" idea is the biggest threat to our lifestyle, should we allow swinger or sexual activities of any kind at family nudist resorts and beaches? Nudists enjoy sexuality as much as anyone but should we give in to those who would sexualize nudism? It might make more money for some but it will destroy us starting at the foundation of our philosophy.

In order for nudism to really grow and gain acceptance in the long run, we need to keep it wholesome at all costs.

Some say adults want to have places for these "adult" activities. But should they be at family nudist resorts at the expense of our lifestyle? When sexual activity of any kind happens at a nude beach or a resort, the public uses that to attack us.

We also need to stay united with our core beliefs. It is necessary that we keep strong in numbers. We all may not agree on every nudist philosophy but we must not let that divide us. Friction among ourselves will hurt us all in gaining respect and credibility with the population at large. As always, we fully support and belong to great organizations like the Naturist Society, the American Association for Nude Recreation, Federation of Canadian Naturists, and the International Naturist Federation.

Our society is obsessed with hiding what they call the "indecent" body. Together we can fight that. It is such a worthy cause.

CFI Staff

Good for CFI!

Until then, regards Caliente, I say,

THROW THE BOOK AT THEM!

You're Kidding, Right?

2008-05-06T07:12:00.000-07:00

From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:

Barenaked beer

Stevens Point Brewery's newly released Nude Beach beer attracts nation's nudist organizations

By TOM DAYKIN

tdaykin@journalsentinel.com
Posted: May 5, 2008

Stevens Point Brewery's newest beer leaves little to the imagination, and that's drawing admiring glances from an unlikely group of beer drinkers: those who imbibe sans clothes.
Nude Beach Summer Wheat

Quotable
It's a whole subculture that I didn't know existed.
- Joe Martino,Stevens Point Brewery operating partner

Nude Beach Summer Wheat is the latest seasonal beer launched by Stevens Point Brewery, which has launched three other seasonal craft brews over the past year. The ale's name popped up during a brain-storming session, said the brewery's operating partner, Joe Martino.

"We decided to have a fanciful name," Martino said. That's a common marketing gimmick used in the brewing industry, where you don't even have to leave Wisconsin to find colorfully named beers such as Louie's Demise, Spotted Cow and Bitter Woman.

The beer's label features a nude beach scene - although the beachgoers have their naughty bits covered by such objects as a surfboard, towel and volleyball. The full monty would have not amused the federal regulators who approve beer labels, Martino said.

Nude Beach's recent launch quickly drew attention from the nation's nudists, said Carolyn Hawkins, spokeswoman for the American Association for Nude Recreation, a group that claims 47,000 members who enjoy sunbathing, swimming and other activities au naturel. The Kissimmee, Fla.-based group bills itself as "a trusted source for nudist information on such topics as what to expect at a nudist club, a nudist resort, or even from a skinny dipping experience."
"Our members have bombarded us with messages" about Nude Beach, Hawkins said.

And that led Hawkins to contact Stevens Point Brewery about providing some free beer for the association's annual convention. The event, which usually draws around 1,000 people, will be held this year at Turtle Lake Resort in Union City, Mich., which is south of Battle Creek, from Aug. 11-17.

Stevens Point, based in the central Wisconsin city of that same name, will provide 25 cases of Nude Beach in return for some ads in the group's newspaper, and in the convention bulletin.
"We're glad to get the help," Hawkins said. Colorado-based New Belgium Brewing Co. couldn't supply its Skinny Dip Beer to this year's convention because New Belgium doesn't distribute its brands in Michigan, she said.

Nude Beach will probably see a spike in sales thanks to the buzz among nudists, Hawkins predicted.

"The nudist organizations all stick together," she said.

Martino welcomes the fans of his nude, uh, new beer.

"It's a whole subculture that I didn't know existed," said Martino, whose company is probably best known for brewing Point Special Lager.

However, Martino doesn't plan to attend the August event.

"I might have attended 20 years ago, when my body was in better shape," he said

Naked Life Changes

2008-05-06T07:05:00.000-07:00

Photo from the Bare Necessities Website

From CNN.com:

'Honey, let's become nudists'
By Sarah Jio

(LifeWire) -- In 1989, Nancy Tiemann was 36 and living in Austin, Texas, with her husband, Tom. "We were both desperately in need of a getaway," says the one-time banking officer. When Tom suggested they join a boat trip to Belize chartered by a group of nudists, Nancy was
horrified.

Tom, 66, a former lawyer, handed her a brochure on nudism and told her he thought the trip could be a lot of fun. After many discussions, she reluctantly agreed to give the experience a try -- under one condition: "I won't tell a soul; no one ever needs to know!"

Your marriage vows may have spoken of hanging in through sickness and health but what about stomaching extreme life makeovers?

"The prevailing message of our time is that you can be whoever you want to be," says Dr. Scott Haltzman, a clinical assistant professor in Brown University's department of psychiatry and human behavior. "The problem in relationships is that some partners change in ways their mates wouldn't have chosen for them. They begin to form new likes and dislikes, new tastes and ultimately new identities."

For Nancy, something unexpected happened in Belize.

"It was so refreshing to find out how wrong I had been with my preconceived ideas on nudity and being nude with others," she says. "A nudist was born."

Had it not been for her husband's dramatic suggestion, Nancy, 53, says she might never have discovered nudism, which is now a source of joy in her life -- and career. Shortly after their trip, the couple launched Bare Necessities Tour and Travel, a travel agency devoted to the nudist vacationer. It has since chartered more than 40 cruise ships carrying more than 25,000 nudist travelers.

"Desert Sun Resort" (AKA Desert Shadows 2.0) Hits Mainstream Media

2008-04-24T18:46:00.000-07:00

The famed “naked bridge” attracted international attention in 2003, and a few jokes from Jay Leno, when it opened. The 140-foot-long pedestrian bridge crosses over Indian Canyon Drive and allows resort users to cross in the buff, shielded from view by a 66-inch protective canvas.

Debra Gruszecki, The Desert Sun

PALM SPRINGS - The sun has set on Desert Shadows Resort & Spa, a clothes-free retreat on Chaparral Road, but only because there's been an ownership change.

The resort, known for its famed Lee Baxandall Memorial Bridge - the "Naked Bridge" or "Bridge of Thighs" - over a main thoroughfare into Palm Springs, noted in its Web site that it had closed.
Reservations weren't being accepted, it said.

But Michael Williams, hotel manager, said Tuesday that it only appears that way: The naturist resort will reopen Friday as the Desert Sun Resort.

The ownership transition was not seamless, Williams said.

That's because John and Elizabeth Young, who bought the resort at an April 8 auction, learned afterward of the need to negotiate the purchase of furnishings in the resort that included office equipment and the phone line for reservations, Williams said.

"Our phone service arrives on Thursday,'' he said. "We've had a few people getting a bit panicky over their future reservations, and we're doing everything we can at this time to confirm these reservations over our personal phones."

The Youngs, naturists for about five years, declined to cite the purchase price at this time.
Former owners Linsu Corp., which filed a voluntary petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California in Riverside in late 2007, could not be reached for comment.

Privately owned Desert Shadows condominiums are not linked to the sale, Williams added. However, the condominiums are connected to the grounds and, in that way, are impacted by the transition.

Initially, the condo association was leery but concerns since have been allayed, Williams said, noting, "We're all working together to bring this property back to its glory days."

From the Shadows to the Sun: Desert Shadows will Re-Open as Desert Sun Resort

2008-04-23T14:15:00.000-07:00

From an e-blast from Cheri Alexander, well-connected naturist leader:

Re-opening of DSI as " http://www.desertsunresort.com/ " by new owners Desert Sun LLC
John and Elizabeth are the new legal owners of the resort as Desert Sun LLC, and condo owners and residents at the resort.

The facility will be opened as a family naturist and nudist resort allowing singles soon as the required permits and licenses, and inspections, furniture, and fixtures are in place.

The new Resort web site reference: http://www.desertsunresort.com/

Refer to the new web site for new contact, phone, and reservations, opening, and planned events.

List of what will be available soft opening this weekend:

The rooms are in fine shape and have all received or are receiving a thorough cleaning.

The phones should be operational upon (PBX) installation today Tuesday, 4/22/2008

The condo rental pool is being slowly formed. At least one of each condo type in the rental pool is available now, more are expected by the weekend.

They'll try to provide some food, perhaps pizza, perhaps a BBQ, perhaps ordering out, but it's definitely BYOB for now.

It's possible that one pool or hot tub might be under maintenance at various times during the weekend.

They are still on track to having everything up and running by the holiday weekend.

What's not available:

The restaurant, Spa, in-room Movies on Demand.

The state of the in-room and condo rental cable TV is unclear at the moment. The status of the volley ball pool, new poles and net is unclear at the moment.

Please check the website http://desertsunresort.com/ and phone # 1 (800) 960-4SUN before arriving. 1533 Chaparral Road, Palm Springs, CA 92282

Cheri Alexander
PO Box 90836
Columbia, SC 29290
http://pages. prodigy.net/cheridonna

This is welcome news to all naturists. The website looks great, and we're happy that it's being re-established as a family naturist location. The couples, no children policy of the previous owners was a departure from the long-standing prior owners.

Desert Shadows Situation Hits the Mainstream Press

2008-04-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

Desert Shadows nudist resort closes in Palm Springs

Desert Shadows Resort & Spa, a clothes-free retreat at 1533 Chaparral Road, has closed, according to its Web site.

The Web site for the clothing optional resort on Tuesday said Desert Shadows also is no longer accepting reservations.

Calls to the resort at 1533 Chaparral Road, Palm Springs, are not being answered.

The Web site adds, "any guest who has a deposit holding on a reservation will be contacted soon."

The action comes several months after its owners, Linsu Corp., filed a "statement for financial affairs" with the federal bankruptcy court in Riverside. Linsu filed for Chapter 11 protection in October 2007.

Naked Pandas Take Over Florida! (Or at Least They're Trying)

2008-04-21T16:24:00.000-07:00

Group Seeks To Market Nudist Offerings

By JULIA FERRANTE
The Tampa Tribune
Published: April 21, 2008

DADE CITY - A group of local naturists wants to share their secret: Pasco County is a nudist Mecca.

"The naturist community is a diamond in the rough," Marcia Stone, a member of the grass-roots group http://www.pandabare.org/, told the Tourist Development Council on Wednesday. "We want to market Pasco County as a nudist destination. We need to let them know what we have."

PANDAbare, which stands for Pasco Area Nudist Development Association, is reaching out to local organizations for support. Stone and organization president Paul Brenot asked the TDC on Wednesday for a $15,000 grant to promote Pasco as a nudist destination through its Web site.
Pasco has about a dozen nudist communities, including Lake Como, Caliente and Paradise Lakes, all of which are in Land O' Lakes and double as year-round resorts, Brenot noted.

The TDC, which makes recommendations to the county commission, told Brenot and Stone they do not award grants to organizations for general promotion through a Web site but encouraged the group to seek a grant to promote a specific event they want to advertise.

"We look at funding different sporting events," County Commissioner Jack Mariano, chairman of the TDC, told Brenot at a meeting at the historic Pasco County Courthouse. "We've never done anything like this at all. ...I don't see an event here. I see this as a promotional thing that's not event-tied."

TDC member Jack Phethean of the Little Everglades Steeplechase said the TDC allocated funds to promote events that encourage overnight stays at hotels in Pasco.

"We need a hook," Phethean said. "If you have a specific event, fine, but just as an ongoing special event, that's where we have a roadblock."

Toby Caroline, a TDC member representing clothing-optional Paradise Lakes Resort, said she encouraged PANDAbare to focus its pitch on specific events, such as a volleyball tournament and a car show.

State law says revenue from a 2 percent tax on hotel stays and short-term rentals may be used for activities, services, venues or events that promote tourism, Pasco Public Communications Manager Eric Keaton said.

"They don't have an event, but they do have a service, which is the Web site."

PANDAbare.org lists nudist-friendly businesses, resorts and events at local nudist communities.

Reporter Julia Ferrante can be reached at (813) 948-4220 or jferrante@tampatrib.com.

More (Hopeful) News About Desert Shadows

2008-04-13T15:45:00.000-07:00

The activity pool, one of four pools, at Desert Shadows. From www.clothesfree.com

Cheri Alexander, well-known in nudist/naturist circles, posted two entries today about the unfolding Desert Shadows saga.

Here's the first. time-stamped at 10:14 AM EST:

This is from the home page of their website http://desertshadows.com/"Desert Shadows Is Closed. We are not accepting reservations. Pleasewatch our web site for up-dates. Any guest who has a deposit holding aroom reservation will be contacted soon."

I was told that moving vans were there this week taking out room furniture,restaurant equipment, office furniture, light fixtures, etc.We do not know when or if they will re-open as they filed bankruptcy. Iwould assume you will learn if they re-open on their website.We are sorry to see them close. Having a place like Desert Shadowsclose can give the wrong impression that nude recreation is not as popularas it once was. This is not true.

Cheri Alexander
PO Box 90836
Columbia, SC 29290
http://pages.prodigy.net/cheridonna.

Then this was posted at 12:45 PM the same day:

Because the company called "Desert Shadows", legally known as Linsu, which was controlled by somebody best described as a "con artist", finally lost the property in a contested bankruptsy sale to Desert Sun Resorts, LLC, controlled by a couple that own villas there. They decided to shut down the resort at that time rather than cooperate in a smooth transition to the new owners. Right now, they've publically said that they won't leave until thrown out by the marshall or similar legal process, which is underway.

As soon as that can happen and the necessary permits and insurance canbe obtained (1-2 weeks from now most likely), the resort will reopen possibly with a new name if they can't buy the old one from Linsu's trustee (the court authorized the appointment of a trustee last Thursday).

Cheri Alexander
PO Box 90836
Columbia, SC 29290
http://pages. prodigy.net/ cheridonna

Ms. Alexander's opinions are her own; we hope for a complete recovery on DS's part, whatever name it may bear.

DESERT SHADOWS IS CLOSED!

2008-04-10T17:21:00.000-07:00

This is now on the website of Desert Shadows in Palm Springs, CA:

Desert Shadows Is Closed. We are not accepting reservations. Please watch our web site for up-dates. Any guest who has a deposit holding a room reservation will be contacted soon.

A quick websearch revealed no additional info; I will post more as I become aware of it.

DS is one of our favorite places; we hope this is temporary.

If You Can Get Past All the Nervous Laughter...

2008-04-07T12:33:00.000-07:00

...I actually found the bodily self-loathing of this one woman rather sad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmI_-kqcs9A

Bizarro and Nudes at the Museum

2008-04-06T21:14:00.000-07:00

From Sunday, April 6, 2008

Nudist Retirement Center to Open

2008-03-31T20:46:00.000-07:00

LAND O'LAKES, FL (April 1, 2008)

A group of investors, Villa Sol Antiqua, have announced intentions to establish a nudist retirement center somewhere in north central Florida.

David O'Hara, spokesman for the group started that "We recognize the plight of people who desire to live clothes free who, when health fails, are forced back into the textile world. Our facility will be truly nude--residents, staff, nurses, even some cooperative physicians."

Further information will be made available as the investors plan is formulated.

What Were Those "Osters" Up To?

2008-03-29T07:06:00.000-07:00

It is unfortunate that this article mingles naturism with sexually-oriented nudity, but it is a revealing (pardon the pun) look at life in the old East Germany.

East Germany's Fascination with Flesh Gets More Exposure

A new book detailing East Germany's passion for nudity is set to be launched in typically candid style just weeks after a documentary exposed the communist regime's secret porn industry.

If selling a book with the recollections -- and photographs -- of nudist holidaymakers in East Germany wasn't enough to cause a stir, bookshop owner Helmut Maass intends to capitalize on the flesh angle of the new tome by promoting it with a reading to a naked audience.

The book, which celebrates East Germany's renowned "Freikoerperkultur" [FKK], draws on the era before the Berlin Wall came down in 1989. Its publishers, Berlin-based Eulenspiegel, are enthusiastic about the publicity stunt.

"This is great advertising for our book," a spokeswoman said.

The book's author, Thomas Kupfermann, contacted devotees and asked them to send him their photographs and also secured a contribution from East German television reporter Hans-Joachim Woller, who covered the FKK scene before 1989.

The event, set to take place in the north-eastern town of Pasewalk and hosted by the nude female model who adorns its cover, is scheduled for April 1, but it's no joke, Maass said.
Book event the latest in FKK revival

The shop owner believes he is putting on a world first with his nudist book reading, which is sold out. He has invited his audience to arrive clothed, as Germany is experiencing a chilly spring, and assures them his shop is adequately heated. He is also providing heavy drapes for the windows to keep passing voyeurs at bay.

East Germany's FKK movement is generally experiencing something of a revival.

A travel agent in the eastern city of Erfurt has laid on nudist charter flights this summer to Usedom, a Baltic island resort and home to a large nudist colony in the communist era.
Enrico Hess says tickets are selling rapidly for the first flight on July 5. He has had applications from as far afield as Australia.

The FKK movement dates its origins to the founding of the first nudist society in Berlin in 1906. While the movement faded in the western states, it flourished in the communist east, with bathing resorts established all along the Baltic coast and at the inland lakes frequented by East German holidaymakers.

The FKK movement was just one of the communist country's many contradictions regarding nudity.

Despite the atmosphere of public prudery that prevailed in East Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall, the GDR was a hot-bed of nudism and naked bathing, both of which were permitted by the communist regime.

While the regime banned Western sex films and confiscated erotic films and magazines brought into the country by visitors, it has recently been revealed that the GDR's armed forces had their own pornography department, which made movies for senior officers and the country's outwardly prudish hard-line political elite.

The former communist state's secret porn industry has recently been the subject of a documentary shown on German television. The show revealed that the GDR's pornography department was operated by a 160-man film unit which used a secret circle of 12 amateur porn enthusiasts as its stars.

The documentary explained that the unit was set up in 1982 and managed to make a total of 12 erotic films before the collapse of communism in 1989.

Officially the films were all made in secret but eye-witness accounts claimed that they were produced under direction from senior officers and their premieres were attended by many of the state's most high-ranking officials and politicians.

DW staff / DPA (nda)

Floridians Blase' About Reports of a New Nudist Resort

2008-03-29T07:01:00.000-07:00

Revealing resort reactions

Residents display tolerance toward rumored naturist resort
While many Arcadians are blase about a proposed nude resort, most think it will never materialize.

ARCADIA (FL)-- A day after rumored plans for the proposed Terra Sol naturist resort were uncovered, the attitude of most Arcadia residents was live and let live.

Patrons of Wheeler's Restaurant buzzed about the news all day Friday. Many offered uninhibited opinions on the subject.

"If it's legal within the law of the state of Florida and DeSoto County, it doesn't bother me," said R.L. Dees.

Durwood Smith, owner of Smith's Ranch and Garden, said he's a firm believer in personal property rights, and if there's a fence around it, he wouldn't have a problem.

Several Arcadians said nude resorts were nothing new to the area. Apparently, there was a nudist colony near Arcadia a long time ago.

"There used to be one out in Brownsville years ago," said Jeannette Foley, from behind Wheeler's register. "Everyone knew about it. We used to drive by as kids in high school, but we never saw anything. I'm not going to belong to it, and I'm not in favor of where it's going to be located, but I don't care one way or the other."

Howard Melton, a local DeSoto County historian, could neither confirm nor deny the Brownsville nudist colony's existence.

"I'd heard about it for many years," he said, adding there was plenty of talk about a nudist colony in the 1940s or 1950s in the area, after World War II. "I knew the general direction it was in, but I don't have any firsthand knowledge. I drove around and passed by the place, but never saw anything, and I didn't see anyone that was naked. Either they weren't there, or I was in the wrong place."

And while the prevailing attitude toward the naturist camp was one of tolerance, most said it would never see the light of day.

"It's not going to happen because it's DeSoto County, and too many people don't want it," said Diann Wells. "In the whole realm of things between what is needed and what people want, it's not a need."

Herby Hall, who joked that he'd already bought into the nude resort, said having it here might be good for DeSoto County.

"Show me where it would hurt," he said. "The place would be gated. But it's never going to happen. The commission'll never vote for it."

DeSoto County Public Information Coordinator Matt Holloman said he hadn't received any calls from the public complaining about the rumored resort.

"There's been no approval formally by the county," he said. "I did find out a Realtor, in the last year, had been making inquiries, but it's not a county issue at this point."

According to the resort's Web site, www.terrasolresorts.com, which was still down Friday, the naturist resort will be coming soon, offering people nude vacation or residence opportunities.
Described as a "family-oriented resort ideally situated on 320 acres in DeSoto County," Terra Sol is said to be located on property located just outside the city of Arcadia, about 1/4 mile east of the intersection of Turner and Roan roads.

But it doesn't exist yet.

Holloman said, as with any project, the resort would require a development plan and would need to go through the Planning and Zoning Department and have a hearing before the DeSoto County Commission.

"It's a long way from 'this could happen' to 'this is happening,'" he said.

County Commissioner Felton Garner said he wasn't aware of any progress on the project either.
"If you've read the paper, you know just as much as I do," he said.

Staff Writer Pam Staik contributed to this article.

You can e-mail Anne Klockenkemper at aklockenkemper@sun-herald.com.

By ANNE KLOCKENKEMPER
Staff Writer

Hold on to Your Friends

2008-03-28T21:43:00.000-07:00

All in all, some pretty good advice:

We've discovered our friends are nudists

DAVID EDDIE

From Friday's Globe and Mail
March 28, 2008 at 9:11 AM EDT

A reader writes: My wife and I have been very close friends with another couple for more than 30 years. We are all in our late 50s. We have shared and supported each other through the births of our children, the deaths of our parents, health crises and career changes. But over the past three years they started spending weekends away in a small trailer.

Being curious, and based on cumulative facts gleaned over time, we Googled some of their camping locations. It seemed our friends had become naturists ... nudists. Then we saw their picture in a naturist magazine. Now, we are not prudes - skinny-dipping is not foreign to us. Our problem is that it seems our friends have decided to move on to a new chapter of their lives without including us. Do we tell them we know or do we simply ignore the whole thing and hope they will eventually take us into their confidence?

The answer

Regular readers of this column will know I'm all about hanging on to old friends. Recently I quoted Polonius from Hamlet: "Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried/Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel."

But on the other hand, there's such a thing as taking a hint. And it does appear, at first blush, your friends are kicking you to the hamper like yesterday's boxers.

Sometimes we need to peel off old friends, like a pair of too-tight jeans, in order to grow and evolve.

I discovered the truth of this when I went away to college.

My high-school friends knew me as "crazy Dave." Class clown, streaker, stoner, shoplifter, bookworm, the long-haired hippie freak in ratty jeans, wire-rimmed glasses, and my dad's army jacket. I was also "no-date Dave" - in all of high school I had one date and the whole thing was a lecture on why I never got dates.

But to the downy limbed beauties of Middlebury College in Vermont, I wanted to reinvent myself and be known as Dave the haunted, slightly troubled troubadour; Dave the romantic poet; Dave the playwright, dropping aphorisms and bon mots like President Johnson dropped bombs on Vietnam. Above all, Dave "the lover."

To my amazement and everlasting joy, they bought it. I'm not one to kiss and tell, but suffice to say for the next four years the new Dave was perhaps among the happiest young men on the eastern seaboard.

But my high-school friends would never have allowed this metamorphosis to occur. They would have mocked my scarf and pretensions. They wouldn't have allowed me to "fake it until I make it."

Maybe your friends are thinking along similar lines. Maybe they're worried that (warning: tortured metaphor approaching) unless they untether the belt of your friendship, they'll never be able to drop their old selves to the floor and step forward into the sunshine of a brave nude world.

To get a sense of whether this could possibly be the case, I spoke to Stéphane Deschênes, owner of the Bear Oaks Family Naturist Park in Ontario, and member of the Federation of Canadian Naturists.

He said you shouldn't take your friends' secretiveness personally. They're probably just nervous about your judgment.

Naturism is about many things, he says, including equality: "When you're naked you can't express your feelings of social superiority over others through your clothing."

But when most people think of nudist clubs or societies (don't say "colonies," they don't like that any more: it sounds too much like a cult), they tend to think (or maybe this is mostly me) of alfresco sex; unbidden, total giveaway erections; and not knowing where to look when you're talking to someone.

(Personally, if I were a nudist and a hot woman, I'd get a tattoo on the upper part of my left breast, saying: "If you're reading this, you're probably not listening to me. Shall I repeat what I just said?")

There's still a stigma attached to it, and Mr. Deschênes said a lot of naturists find it hard (cough cough, sorry) to tell old friends about their new clothing-optional lifestyles.

He says he didn't tell a lot of people at first. When friends found out after he appeared on a cable TV talk show extolling the virtues of doffing your duds, many asked him: "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it wasn't like I'd taken up golf and could ask them, 'Hey why don't you play a few rounds with me?' " he says.

It's a ticklish thing and continues to be ticklish at times. He says to this day when people invite him to pool parties they sometimes nervously ask him if he plans to, you know - that is, if he wouldn't mind wearing a suit, please.

But he says that, especially if your friends have contributed to a naturist magazine, they're probably quite passionate about it. And he predicts that if you approach them, "you probably won't be able to get them to shut up about it."

In all likelihood, they'll feel a huge sense of relief, and be more than happy to welcome you into the fold, should you so desire.

So yes, I would say: doff your reticence, approach your friends and whip out your knowledge of the new direction their lives are taking. Just say you saw them in the magazine and start talking about that. If you wind up nudists - well, I have to say it sounds like a fun way to spend your weekends. Send me a postcard.

Of course, there's a chance your friends' evasiveness might have nothing to do with naturism. And I can imagine a horrible, embarrassing scene where you're all standing around naked sipping Cuba libres and they say: "No, it wasn't that we were embarrassed by our naturism. We were just bored of you guys."

But that doesn't sound like the case here. Mostly because of the timing. If you're as close to your old friends as you say, it's just too big a coincidence that they started being evasive about the time they became naturists.

If you approach them with open hearts and minds, I predict you will soon be a happy foursome once again, perhaps playing nude gin rummy in the sun.

If you do go that route, one last note, courtesy of Mr. Deschênes: Naturists love being nude, they love playing basketball and frolicking in the buff, but they're practical about it, too. They understand the need for clothing as protection: "I like to tell people," he says, 'Wear an apron when you're arc-welding or frying bacon.' "

Now that, my friends, is what I call good advice. And don't forget lots of sunscreen.
David Eddie is a screenwriter and the author of Chump Change and Housebroken: Confessions of a Stay-at-Home Dad.

Pack Light...

2008-03-17T06:40:00.000-07:00

Today's Comic Commentary on naturism from Bizarro. (We'll forgive the outdated use of "colony" due to ignorance.)

Naked Taxes!

2008-03-03T17:17:00.000-08:00

Tourist tax dollars hit peak

Nudists, athletes and other county visitors spent $68,748 in bed tax here last month.

By Chuin-Wei Yap, Times Staff Writer
Published February 29, 2008

The Paradise Lakes nudist resort in Lutz reported large bookings last month. The first quarter is regarded as nudism's peak season, said Toby Caroline of Paradise Lakes.
	[Zach Boyden-Holmes \| Times (2006)]

Pasco collected a record amount of tourist tax dollars in January, and if you believe anecdotal suggestions, sports and naked people are part of the explanation.

The $68,748 collected in January, a bellwether month in the tourism industry, was the largest take in the bed tax since the county started collecting such data in 1991.

Some of the tax money came from nudist resorts, of which Pasco has the most in Florida.

"We had a great month in January," said Chris Berry, who handles real estate for Caliente Resorts. "We were definitely booked solid, three months ahead. We had another big party in the middle of the month, and that was booked up almost to capacity.

"Part of what's driving the business is the hellacious winter up north. So many of them are from Massachusetts, Michigan, Canada, and they say it's been horrendous," Berry said.

"I was told New Year's Eve was the busiest in Pasco it's ever been," said Carolyn Hawkins, spokeswoman for the American Association of Nude Recreation. New Year's Eve takings would have been reported in January.

Other resorts like Lake Como and Paradise Lakes also reported bumper bookings last month. The first quarter is regarded as nudism's peak season, said Toby Caroline of Paradise Lakes.

Sports also played a role in tourist tax collections.

"Keep in mind we added the Dick's Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions - the lacrosse national club championship - which tallied close to 700 room nights for the county, including 136 for Saddlebrook Resorts," said Eric Keaton, who handles Pasco's tourism matters.

Saddlebrook was the host hotel for the Dick's tourney. In January, Saddlebrook and Saint Leo University also hosted the USTA Grand Slam Futures tennis tournament, Keaton said.

Pasco tourism isn't breaking step with the rest of the Sunshine State when it comes to the longer term. Florida saw the first year-to-year decline in tourists since 2001 last year.

Pasco reported a 4 percent dip in tourist revenue between 2006 and 2007, but the last three months of 2007 saw a surge while the rest of Florida staggered. And then January broke county records.

Hotels are betting on the tourism trend here. Last year, Marriott opened a Residence Inn at the Suncoast Parkway and State Road 54. And earlier this month, a new Hampton Inn & Suites opened at SR 56 and Interstate 75.

Chuin-Wei Yap can be reached at cyap@sptimes.com or (813)909-4613.

Just Like on Betazed

2008-02-21T06:48:00.000-08:00

Star Trek fans may recall that the nude wedding is standard on the planet Betazed (Troi's homeword). Mr. and Mrs. Musings were wed fully clothed, but know people who had naked nuptials...

Weddings exposed: Bride and groom bare it all

Lana Gerseten
Columbia News Service
Feb. 20, 2008 12:00 AM

NEW YORK -- On a sunny, August day in the Berkshire Mountains, 600 guests stood waiting to witness Pamela and Lee tie the knot. But as the bride walked down the aisle, no one marveled at her wedding dress.

She wasn't wearing one. And Lee, her husband shortly to be, wore little more than a top hat and bowtie. As for the audience, some people wore hats and others had shawls around their shoulders, but most did not dress at all that morning. Only 12 were fully clothed.

"We worked for many months to craft a ceremony that was very expressive of our thoughts and our beliefs," Pamela said. Having a nude wedding was "so expressive of who we are," she said. "It's so natural, it's so unpretentious."

Pamela and Lee, both in their 50s, are part of a growing number of nudists opting to have nude weddings to complement their lifestyle. As nudists, they eat, sleep, exercise, and sometimes work in the raw. For them, nude weddings are simply a natural extension of their everyday life.

At the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR), where 50,000 members can now choose from over 270 clothes-free and clothing-optional clubs and resorts throughout the country, nude weddings are more popular than ever.

Staffers at the Kissimmee, Fla.,-based organization say their office had invitations to more than 25 nude weddings last year, up from just one or two a few years back.

Nude weddings have also become commonplace on nude cruises, which have soared in popularity over the last few years. Bare Necessities Tour and Travel, one of the largest clothes-optional cruise lines, regularly charters cruises with over 2,100 passengers, a far cry from the 36 that set sail in 1991. In 1992, when the first large cruise was offered, no requests were made for wedding ceremonies onboard.

On the most recent large cruise, 15 couples had ceremonies at sea. In fact, because the demand for nude weddings has become so great on the cruises, Nancy Tiemann, president and co-founder of Bare Necessities, became a minister so she could preside over the ceremonies herself.

The growth of nude weddings is part of a larger trend in nude recreation, which is fast reaching record numbers. "Nude recreation is entering the mainstream," said Carolyn Hawkins, Public Relations Coordinator at AANR. According to AANR, nude recreation grew 75 percent during the 1990s. Today, AANR estimates that the industry has grown to $440 million, up from $120 million in 1992.

In fact, nude recreation is becoming so popular that nudists now have their own resorts, cruise lines and most recently in January, a flight chartered specifically for a nudist day trip. Throughout the country, a growing number of nudist resorts offer everything from naked volleyball to naked karaoke.

For couples like Pamela and Lee, who lead a nudist life, having a nude wedding is a way to focus on each other rather than the extravagance of a traditional wedding. Their outdoor ceremony, which they estimated cost between $2,000 and $3,000, was an added bonus against the backdrop of a booming wedding industry whose prices continue to soar.

According to a study conducted in 2005 by the Fairchild Bridal Group, the average wedding in the United States costs over $26,000. By contrast, most nude weddings take place outdoors, and the best part of all -- no wedding dress to think of.

"Couples who get married in the nude are closer to God, the universe, divine energy," said Rev. Jo Ann Pessagno, a minister who has presided over 80 nude weddings, including Pamela and Lee's. "Their emphasis is on the ceremony and the words as opposed to the flowers, the place cards, what kind of wine they're serving, what kind entrees, desserts."

When Bob and Judy Callene had a nude wedding aboard a Bare Necessities cruise on Valentine's Day 2002, many of the ship's 2,000 passengers showed up to support the couple. After the ceremony, guests enjoyed wedding cake, Champagne and dancing in the ship's restaurant. "My husband said it was the best $40 ever spent," said Judy, still marveling at the low cost of their special day.

Mark and Cindy, who had a nude wedding in San Antonio in November 2001, put their wedding together in just six weeks and sent out e-mails rather than formal wedding invitations. Though Mark, 36, regrets that their families did not attend because they felt uncomfortable, having a wedding that reflected their nudist lifestyle was more important.

"My mom is just too old fashioned to understand," he said.

Nude weddings also remind couples that their lifestyle is about love and acceptance above all else. For Lee, "nudism is a great equalizer. You are the same as everyone. You're not wearing anything that would separate you from anyone else."

Nudists around the country balk at the mistaken belief that nudist communities are all about sex. To them, nudists are very accepting and close. "It's not a sexual thing, it's a spiritual thing," said Rev. Shirley Morgan, a minister in Manchester, Michigan who has officiated at nearly 40 nude weddings.

For each couple, the decision to have a nude wedding came naturally. "We got married this way because of our belief in having a healthy, honest, transparent lifestyle," said Pamela.

According to Lee, their wedding was exactly the way it should be. "God keeps sending us naked people, but we keep sending him people that are all dressed," he lamented. "One of these days we'll get it."

By the way, NM ignored all the news about a German airline with naked flights because (1) it's been done before and (2) it's just plain (plane?) stupid.

Be It Every So Naked...

2008-02-13T20:19:00.001-08:00

Nudity in the home

Nothing so divides families as the issue of nakedness, says Marianne Kavanagh

The Telegraph (U.K.)

February 9, 2008

Outside the home, families tend to behave with a certain conformity. But behind closed doors, there is no such thing as standard behaviour. Some families keep guinea pigs. Others eat Marmite. Some watch The Vicar of Dibley. But no habit splits the nation so dramatically as nudity.

Some of us wander quite happily about in nothing but our birthday suits. Others view nakedness as a brief but necessary state between, say, a bath and pyjamas. But all of us have quite distinct opinions about whether or not we are comfortable stripping off in front of our children.

"I see it as my duty," says a friend, "to remind my teenage sons that this is what women really look like. It's no good them growing up thinking we all look like those airbrushed pictures in magazines." Others wouldn't dream of being seen in the buff, grabbing towels and dressing-gowns to cover the relevant dangly bits.

"It's purely practical," says one father. "Spend any time naked in our house and you'd freeze to death." Some change their habits as the children grow older. You share a bath with your baby and happily strip off in front of your toddler, but find yourself becoming increasingly modest once your child goes to school.

It's hard to rise above direct comments about a Rubenesque shape. "Mummy," said a friend's five-year-old admiringly as her mother left the bath, "what a big bottom!" "I think I cover up more now that the children are teenagers," says another mum, "but that's more for their sake than mine.

I don't tend to bother about being naked in the bedroom, because that's my domain."

"It's quite useful if I'm upstairs wrapping birthday presents," says Katie. "My 13-year-old hates seeing me naked, so I just shout 'No clothes on!' and I can hear him scuttling back down the stairs." If you're going to let it all hang out, you need a positive body image. Gravity takes its toll, after all, and the more mature human form seems to benefit from a little support. Perhaps this is what was behind the leaked email from Jeremy Paxman, presenter of BBC2's Newsnight, to Marks & Spencer boss Sir Stuart Rose. Complaining about M&S underwear, Paxman wrote of the "widespread gusset anxiety" among his friends.

"I think nudity depends on whether your house has a lot of mirrors," says Louisa. "I didn't mind drifting about naked in my 20s, but nowadays I come across a full-length mirror and think, 'Bloody hell!'"

It's probably easier for mothers to strip off in front of their daughters, and fathers in front of their sons - it is, after all, a division we're used to from the days we eased our shivering children back into their clothes at the swimming pool. But the solidarity encountered when one sex heavily outnumbers the other can be alarming.

One father, who works away from home during the week, comes back to his wife and four daughters on Friday night and feels hopelessly out of place. "He keeps asking, rather desperately, 'Is that appropriate? ' because we're all wandering about naked," says his wife fondly. "But we don't take any notice of him."

If you find the idea of nudity in the home troubling, it may be because your parents were buttoned, braced and belted. We seem to pass on our ideas about nakedness to the next generation.

"When I was growing up," says a friend whose daughters quite happily sit about without a stitch on, "you couldn't lock yourself away modestly in the bathroom because the rest of the family would hammer on the door, shouting, 'What are you doing in there?'"

You might, on the other hand, decide to turn your back on a naturist upbringing. One friend, who feels in retrospect that her parents were complete exhibitionists, keeps nudity at home to a minimum.

"Be sensitive to your child's feelings," says Suzie Hayman, trustee of the national charity ParentlinePlus. "Young children are very free and easy, but most go through a modest phase after attending nursery school. Teenagers can find it very embarrassing if their parents are prancing about in the nude because of the whole idea of the opposite sex." Be sensitive, but also positive.

As Hayman says: "What's most important is to pass on the idea that 'My body is OK' and 'Whatever I am is fine', because the opposite message is so very harmful." In these days of cosmetic surgery and airbrushed pictures, you can't emphasise too much that bodies come in all shapes and sizes. But don't feel you have to strip off to prove it. After all, as TS Eliot once nearly said, your children might not be able to bear that much reality.

The bare essentials:

Reasons to go nude

• It's natural

• It's the best way to clean the shower

• Fake tan dries more easily

• You don't need to buy dressing-gowns

Reasons to cover up

• It saves on heating bills

• You might embarrass the children

• Clothes express personality

• Mobile phones take pictures these days

Source: http://www.telegrap h.co.uk/educatio n/main.jhtml? xml=/education/ 2008/02/09/ enakedness109. xml

The Carib-Bare-an Experience

2008-01-12T07:44:00.000-08:00

A morning walk at Orient Beach...

From the Toronto Star:

NATURIST RESORTS

Bare facts about the Caribbean

JUST THE FACTS

Here are some helpful web sites:

Saint Martin, French West Indies: www.cluborient.com

Cayo Largo, Cuba: www.tripcentral.ca/ (Click "packages" and follow links.)

Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles: www.sorobonbeachresort.com

Jamaica: www.superclubs.com

THE AU NATUREL FACTS

Considering a nude or naturist holiday? Remember these rules:

SUNBLOCK
Use lots of it, everywhere. Make sure it's not alcohol-based.

TOWELS
Yes, naked people use towels - a lot.

EYE CONTACT
Whether the person you're talking with has horns and cloven hoofs, or angelic wings, look them in the eye. Nudist etiquette demands that you aren't gaping at other parts. To glance, however, is human nature.

MALE EXCITEMENT
Forget it, it doesn't happen. This is the most non-sexual environment around.

GAWKERS
Rude people walk up and down public nude beaches with dark sunglasses, and sometimes digital and video cameras. The best solution is to ask everyone on the beach to point at and applaud the gawker as he (and it's always a he) walks by. Gawkers do not like attention.

PROPOSITIONS
Someone you'd rather see stuck in quicksand may proposition you in a naturist venue, but how would you deal with that person if you were clothed? Give him or her the same cold shoulder or withering look.

PDAS
Public displays of affection - nope. It's uncomfortable to witness two lovesick teenagers locking lips on the subway; it's even more so to see two nude people doing the same.

COMPARISONS
There aren't many bodies that resemble Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. There will always be someone who looks better or worse than you.

MEMBERSHIP
You can join the Federation of Canadian Naturists or, in Quebec, the Fédération québécoise de naturisme.

RELAX
You're there to feel comfortable without a lot of restrictive clothing, and to enjoy the air, sun and water on your body. It's normal and natural.

Resorts offer plenty of spots for sun-seekers to act naturally

Jan 12, 2008 04:30 AM

Bruce Bishop
Special to the Star

Maybe you're a confirmed, card-carrying naturist (the politically correct term for "nudist.") Maybe you'd just like to try out a clothing-optional vacation – but as far away from home as possible.

This winter, the Caribbean will beckon many sun-hungry Canadians. Here are some natural options to consider:

ST. MARTIN

When devastating hurricanes hit the northeastern Caribbean in 1995, St. Martin/Sint Maarten, the dually-owned French/Dutch protectorate, was not exempt. Club Orient, the naturist resort on the French side, was heavily damaged, but reopened the following year, with several new beachfront chalets (made of poured concrete) and many reinforced mini-suites, bringing the total accommodation to 137 units of varying sizes.

The clothing-optional crowd congregates mostly on the southern portion of Orient Beach, but the long sandy expanse is constantly busy, with sports, kiosks, and a wide variety of restaurants and bars.

A popular feature has always been Club Orient's nude day cruises to the nearby uninhabited islet of Tintamarre aboard the Tiko-Tiko, a 12-metre catamaran. The trip, which costs about $140 (Cdn.) includes a gourmet lunch with French wines and liqueurs, use of snorkelling equipment, swimming and sunning on a deserted island.

Compared with other hotels which may offer breakfast or an all-inclusive plan, Club Orient is pricey.

The least expensive studio chalet or mini suite is $316 per night from Boxing Day to March 15, with no meals included. Beachfront chalets are an average of $550 and even Internet access is expensive. It's the price you pay for leaving your clothes at home.

Orient Beach is a beauty, however, and hundreds of tourists staying at other hotels on the island make the pilgrimage there at least once. It is, after all, a public beach.

Some cruise ship passengers who request this shore excursion are unceremoniously dumped for the day in the middle of Orient Beach – nudes on their right, textiles on their left. Guess where they go first.

Not to worry. For once, you'll be in the majority as they snake their way along the beach, surreptitiously glancing at the bronzed bodies. You almost feel sorry for them.

CAYO LARGO, CUBA

You won't see huge cruise ships stopping at the breathtaking sandy beaches on the tiny island of Cayo Largo, a Cuban possession about 130 kilometres south of Havana.

There are few day trippers but you'll meet other Canadians (especially from Québec), Argentinians, Italians and Germans. They've been enjoying the back-to-nature beaches here for several years.

There is no designated nude beach but you can remove your swimsuit at the beaches of Villa Lindaman, Villa Soledad, the east side of Sol Pelicano and the west side of Sol Cayo Largo. Or just find your own deserted beach.

As Toni and Dave, a couple from St. Bruno, Québec, wrote on a Caribbean online chat group: "You do get what you pay for because you are flying there, with hotel transfers, sleeping in a clean room, drinking yourself into a stupor (should you wish to), and eating until you almost explode.

You can do this in a high-season period for less than $1,200 at a four-star level. With that in mind, I have no complaints about the food, room, bar, beach or service. Try getting all that at an auberge in Québec for a week."

Buffet breakfasts and dinners, liquor and sometimes lunches are included with your package tour price, as are aquafit classes, Spanish and Cuban dance lessons, and some sports, depending on your choice of hotel.

But people really come to Cayo Largo to unwind. No casinos, next to nothing in the way of nightlife or shopping, no crime, museums, historical sites or political propaganda. Bike rentals are a bargain and a great way to see the tiny island.

Pelicans, egrets, land crabs, iguanas, turtles and gulls live permanently on Cayo Largo, whereas hotel workers are housed in a village and return to the "big" island of Cuba after a couple of weeks' work.

Near-perfect swimming, beachcombing, sunning and snorkelling are the most strenuous activities here.

It is the Caribbean as Columbus once saw it.

BONAIRE

The only "official" clothing optional resort in the Netherlands Antilles is the Sorobon Beach Resort on the sunny island of Bonaire, off the northern coast of Venezuela.

The island is dry and stark, with wild donkeys sleeping on or beside the road, flocks of pink flamingos, oddly-shaped cacti and constant trade winds.

The Sorobon Beach Resort has 28 one-bedroom chalets, one two-bedroom unit and one three-bedroom house.

They all face shallow Lac Bay and the Caribbean Sea. No chalet is more than 45 metres from the water.

A favourite of first-time naturists, the Sorobon's beach is private and for resort guests only.

At its busiest, the Sorobon will only have about 75 guests. People from other hotels may be admitted onto the beach for a fee.

Chalets have full kitchens, solar-heated water, air conditioning, free Wi-Fi in some (and an office computer for guests to check email), and patios and terraces with hammocks. The units don't have TVs, telephones or radios.

A nude snorkelling cruise, yoga on the beach, massage, boules, a games room, a bar and restaurant, and other activities and diversions are offered.

Bonaire's protected reefs have some of the finest scuba diving in the world. Snorkellers also rave about the underwater life and vegetation.

JAMAICA

Jamaica has a few hotels and resorts where bathing suits are not required.

Hedonism II and Hedonism III have nude and "prude" beaches and areas but are known for their party atmosphere and may not be to everyone's taste.

The all-inclusive Grand Lido Braco has an au naturel section of guestrooms, pools and beach that is highly regarded by card-carrying naturists.

Warren and Ruth, a couple from northern California, wrote about their seventh vacation at Grand Lido Braco on an online chat group for naturists.

"When we were there earlier this year, we saw three people trying to have a game of pool volleyball on the clothed side (of the resort). No one else was interested. On the nude side, we were playing with so many people that we were practically shoulder to shoulder."

It's amazing how much friendlier people can be when you are not wearing designer clothing or jewellery.

You have very little to hide when you're nude, and since we all come in different shapes and sizes, just relax and enjoy your clothing-optional vacation.

Some Warm and Naked Pictures

2007-12-04T20:53:00.000-08:00

From www.orientbeach.com, something to remind you that, yes, naked weather will return!

Another Textile Reporter Vists a Naturist Venue

2007-11-18T20:47:00.000-08:00

Don’t look down

Published:Nov 18, 2007

Pictures: Nicholas De Villiers

Bottoms up: Naturists trying everything to get the barman’s attention

Hanging out: Oliver Roberts, left, hides behind his shades; naturists view nature in its fullest glory

Public erections are bad enough, but to be the bearer of one here wouldn’t be lived down

Tell us: Do you think naturism makes us more, or less, intimate? Write to: tellus@sundaytimes.co.za or visit www.thetimes.co.za to take part in an online discussion

For naturists, stripping down to a Sunday lunch with fellow nudes is the ultimate escape from everyday life. Oliver Roberts went along as a textile.

The most bizarre thing I noticed minutes after entering a room full of naked people was not the guy with 20 piercings in his dick, or the Goth chick with her pubic hair trimmed into a downward pointing arrow, or even the old man sitting just to my right, reading the Sunday Times while his parched scrotum dangled free over the chair’s edge. No. What struck me as unusual was the smell.

Clothes, I realised then, cover not only the sight of us, but also the odour. When nudity is communal our natural scents celebrate their freedom in raptures of glossy musks, dull yeasts and washed onions.

My excitement at this revelation evoked in me the same ache for the aroma of human skin as Jean-Baptiste Grenouille in Patrick Süskind’s Perfume. I wanted to kill every beautiful person in the room and diffuse them into untainted lust.

The occasion was a lunch for 110 naturists at a restaurant deep in the hills of Muldersdrift, away from the prying eyes of “textiles” (the term for people who wear clothes). Wolfgang Weinrich, president of the International Naturist Federation, was on a visit from his headquarters in Belgium; other guests included tour operators from Holland and Germany who specialise in holiday packages for naturists. Globally, the nude tourism industry is worth 450million a year.

Dress code was sneakers and sunglasses. And a towel to sit on — so your bum sweat doesn’t sully the chairs.

I concede that I didn’t have the balls to go naked; in fact, I wore a sarong around my bottom half to conceal them. A willingness to be naked among strangers is very dependent on the suggestions of the setting and how much you’ve had to drink: I was not on a beach or in the desert, I was in a restaurant; and I was totally sober.

At my table were David and Megan, a couple in their early 50s — he a psychiatrist and she a university lecturer.

They’d just come straight from church, arriving at the restaurant in the appropriate dress before disappearing into the bathrooms and emerging naked as Adam and Eve . David and Megan have been naturists for almost three years.

“Being naked strips you of all your defences and leaves you with nothing left to hide behind,” David said. “What it does is it totally disseminates you from your normal life and all the baggage that it carries.”

Megan is blonde, with sharp eyes and momentous breasts that pressed and rebounded triumphantly off the table ledge as she scooped salad off her plate.

“It might seem strange for us to say that we are Christian, but I don’t see anything immoral with being in an environment like this. It’s about feeling free and natural; there is nothing sexual about it.”

Heading to lunch I felt a protruding anxiety about the possibility of visual arousal. Public erections when you are clothed are bad enough, but to become the bearer of one and have nothing but a serviette to cover it with, you would never live it down. The relieving paradox of communal nudity is that, despite the paradisiacal allusions of being surrounded by women bearing themselves in unfettered displays of wobbles and jiggles, there is not even a vague sensation of sensual stimulation. The human form is far more enticing when it’s presented as a mystery waiting to be unravelled. The power of nudity, then, is determined by its context.

“The appeal of naturism is that it relieves you of your identity and creates instant equality,” said Mike, a 42 year-old architect. “Clothes are a way of defining yourself to others before they even begin speaking to you. Being naked like this, conversing with strangers, brings us all down to the same level because there’s a vulnerability to it. It’s deeply humanising.”

It’s true that it’s almost impossible to gauge someone’s character when they are starkers. Your only clues are hairstyles, shoes, piercings and tattoos. Thus, in a setting like this, genuine impressions are formed by talking to people. Instead of depending on synthetics to back up your personality, you have to try harder.

“I think the world would be a much gentler place if we were all naked,” said Nick, a board member at a major petrol firm. “It’s far easier to connect with another person when you’re both naked because, although the physical boundaries are increased, the personal and emotional ones become diluted.”

Certainly, the physical spaces between bodies at the lunch were noticeably pronounced. Though I am in doubt as to whether this gap is born out of consideration for each other’s bareness, or the grief of accidentally brushing your penis against another man’s leg as you stand at the bar (I saw this happen).

At any get-together there are always people who spoil things. In the case of a nude lunch, the bêtes noir are swingers. They come to events like this to scout out potential partners. I was pointed to a clique of them — their nudity somehow carried an element of greed — and told that their presence is discouraged and, though their behaviour is monitored (they’ve been known to disappear for trysts in the parking lot), there is little that can be done to prevent them from attending.

Compared to countries like Germany and Holland naturism in South Africa is still very small. The South African Naturist Federation (Sanfed) only has about 200 members, but, according to Paul, who co-owns local naturist tourism agency Kalypso Tours and is a member of Sanfed, this figure represents only 10% of the actual amount of naturists in the country.

“Sanfed is trying to grow naturism through events such as this one,” he said. “The aim is to present naturism as something of an everyday occurrence so that people who are considering becoming a naturist can come to days like this and not feel fearful about trying it out.”

Most naturists are aged 50-plus. The reason for this, according to Paul, is that people have grown to be more comfortable with themselves and their bodies at this age and are also seeking a weekend’s indulgence that goes far beyond putting your feet up and reading a book.

“A lot of naturists are professionals ,” he said. “ Naturism presents them with the ultimate escape because it’s totally detached from ordinary life.”

Naturism in South Africa relies on word of mouth for its interest. Generally, Sanfed members will invite friends to an event or hear about it from a friend of a friend. Sanfed also has a group on Facebook. From next year, it is hoping to organise lunches like this every six weeks.

What was most endearing about being surrounded by casual adult nudity was the way in which everyone’s flaws — droopy breasts , wrinkly willies and strange sproutings of hair were offered as celebrations. The sins of the flesh, it seems, can be overcome.

For more go to www.sanfed.co.za

DESERT SHADOWS FILES CHAPTER 11

2007-11-03T06:41:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Musings and I spent a pleasant weekend at DS this summer. We thought that the new owners were, well, quirky. They now have a no kids/couples only policy which we did not think wise. Looks like they were over their heads in other ways...

Palm Springs Nudist Resort Files Chapter 11

(CBS) PALM SPRINGS The owners of a Palm Springs nudist resort that gained worldwide attention when it opened a naked "Bridge of Thighs" across a major roadway have filed for bankruptcy protection, federal court papers showed Friday.Linsu Corporation, parent of Desert Shadows Resort and Spa, 1533 Chaparral Road, made the Chapter 11 filing in federal bankruptcy court in Riverside.

The next step in the bankruptcy proceedings is scheduled for Monday, when a "statement of financial affairs" must be filed detailing the resort's fiscal challenges, according to the records.

Chapter 11 protection allows a business to restructure without immediate threat of creditor lawsuits. The filing refers only to the hotel portion of the Desert Shadows resort and does not include separate sections of privately owned condominiums.

In 2003, the nudist resort attracted international attention when it opened what became known as the "Bridge of Thighs," a 140-foot-long steel and canvas pedestrian bridge over busy Indian Canyon Drive.The span connects two sides of the resort that includes hotel rooms, the privately owned condominiums, four pools, a gym, putting green, tennis courts, a spa and cafe.

Resort users can cross the bridge without clothes but they are protected from the view of motorists or pedestrians below, thanks to a 66-inch protective canvas.

The Desert Shadows Web site shows news stories about the bridge opening being carried in numerous media outlets, including newspapers in Alaska, Seattle, New York, the ABC television network, the BBC and the British newspaper Guardian.

Late-night TV humorist Jay Leno was quoted on a TV entertainment Web site as joking to his national audience about the nudist bridge, "How'd you like to be the toll taker? Hey, this quarter's warm!"

The bankruptcy petition listed a total of 57 unsecured creditors and said the ones holding the 20 largest claims are owed a total $328,863.

Several government entities were included in the petition, including the IRS, California Secretary of State's Office and California Department of Alcohol Beverage Control.

Desert Commercial Bank of Palm Desert appeared to hold the biggest claim for $141,118.

The resort's Web site said the facility has a total of 92 rental units, including some of the privately owned condominiums. It said the resort opened 15 years ago as an 11-room "B & B."

Shemar Moore or CBS' "Criminal Minds" is a Nudist

2007-10-19T07:59:00.000-07:00

Photos Emerge; Moore Denies Being Gay, Fesses Up to Be a Skinny-Dipper
“People find it interesting to try to make me gay; I’m not gay.” So what’s with frolicking on a gay beach? “I went on vacation with two girlfriends of mine who, interestingly enough got cut out of the pictures. We found a nude beach, as far as I know, was a unisex beach…. We took off our clothes and jumped in the water. I’ve been trying to skinny dip since I was a teenager. I’m just grateful that the water was warm!”
We--Mrs. Musings and I--enjoy Mr. Moore on "Criminal Minds"; now we know we have something in common: a joy in being clothes-free!

PETA Ad Uses Tasteful Nudity

2007-10-06T13:19:00.000-07:00

Naturist Gambit in Huntington Beach

2007-10-05T21:22:00.001-07:00

The photo is from Avalon in West Virginia; yes, we just might try to go to HB for this! Be sure to read the bolded paragraph.

This came over the transom today:

**********************************************************************
NATURIST ACTION COMMITTEE
ACTION ALERT
**********************************************************************
http://www.naturistaction.org
**********************************************************************
Copyright 2007 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 4, 2007
SUBJECT: NAC Huntington Beach Swim!
TO : All Naturists and other interested individuals

Dear Naturist,

The Naturist Action Committee announces the NAC Huntington Beach Swim!
This is a nude event scheduled for October 27, 2007, in the municipally
owned Huntington Beach City Gym.

IT'S A LEGAL NUDE SWIM

NAC has rented the Huntington Beach City Gym from the City for this
activity. NAC made the application and paid the fee, making certain at
each step of the way that City bureaucrats understand this will be a nude
swim.

WHEN: Saturday, October 27, 2007. 5:00 PM TO 7:00 PM

WHERE: Huntington Beach City Gym,
1600 Palm Avenue, Huntington Beach, CA

WHO: This is a family friendly nude swim. All are welcome.

FEE: $10 each, at the door.

ADMITTANCE: This is a private use of a public facility. NAC reserves
the right to refuse entry to anyone. There is no club or organization
membership prerequisite. Your $10 gets you in the door. Your good behavior
keeps you inside. Please use standard naturist etiquette.

POLICIES: As few as possible. This is a nude event. No cameras allowed.
An official photographer will be taking a few photographs for NAC and
for The Naturist Society's N magazine, but you may ask to be excluded
from the pictures, if you wish.

IF YOU'D LIKE TO HELP

NAC is looking for volunteers to help prepare the facility and take a
shift at the door on the day of the event. If you'd like to help, please
contact NAC board member Allen Baylis by phone: (714) 962-0915 or by
e-mail: rab@baylislaw.com

MORE INFORMATION

NAC is not typically in the business of conducting recreational
activities, but this event is not only a couple of hours of fun. It's
important as a "proof of concept." As a demonstration of what naturists can do
when they work with local governments, it follows in the pattern of the
successful NAC Seattle Swims, a series of six monthly swims in
municipal pools that began in Seattle a year ago.

Although NAC vigorously opposed the recent Huntington Beach anti-nudity
ordinance and greatly regrets its adoption by the City Council, this
event is NOT a protest. It's a nude swim. Come out and enjoy it!

For more information about the facility itself, visit the Huntington
Beach web site.

http://www.ci.huntington-beach.ca.us/Residents/parks_facilities/facility_show.cfm?id=1

PLEASE HELP NAC TO CONTINUE HELPING NATURISTS!

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

NAC
PO Box 132
Oshkosh, WI 54903

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

http://www.naturistaction.org/donate/

Thank you for choosing to make a difference.

Naturally,

Bob Morton
Executive Director
Naturist Action Committee

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

_______________________________________________

Bare Buckeyes

2007-10-05T21:19:00.000-07:00

Naked & natural
Local nudists discuss their lifestyle

Published Thursday, October 4, 2007.
Caitlin Price / Culture Senior Writer
Alicia Fidler

From the The Post of Athens, Ohio:

Those looking to embark on a free-spirited lifestyle should start by simply taking off their clothes.

Dating back to the hippie era of the 1960s, nudism tends to be thought of in a negative light. Americans often associate nudism with sex and think of nudist “colonies” as places for sexual activity. But practicing nudists — or naturists, as some prefer to be called — prefer this all-natural lifestyle for more spiritual and social reasons, not for nudity’s sexual stigma.

The idea that nudism is a sexual activity exists mainly in the “public imagination,” said Zen Nudist, a local nudist who prefers to remain anonymous. Nudity can be sexual, he said, but in the case of nudism, people just happen to be naked in front of one another.

Zen Nudist became a nudist before he knew what nudism really was. He always enjoyed hiking, and around age 14 or 15, he realized that hiking alone during the summer was really hot and humid. “It just made more sense to take off my clothes,” he said.

He “got hooked” on hiking in the nude, and it seemed logical to do so if no one was nearby, he said. But it wasn’t until around age 28 that he realized he was an actual nudist.

“When I realized, ‘Gosh, I get naked every chance I get,’ it’s inaccurate not to call myself a nudist,” Zen Nudist said.He continues to practice nudism today as often as possible because losing clothes makes people forget about social prejudices. With all things equal, it’s a more comfortable lifestyle, he added.

Body image and health

People practice nudism for many other reasons, too. Zen Nudist said that mainstream media and Hollywood have skewed the public’s view of an ideal body image. Instead of reinforcing positive body images, people are exposed to unrealistic, ideal bodies.

“Some people might think of nudists as insane, but … I think the Hollywood view is insane,” he said.

Nudism also can be mentally and physically healthy.

“I think there’s something about social nudism that throws your brain for a loop because it’s so out of your experience, and it really makes your wheels turn,” Zen Nudist said.

A simple getaway

Barney and Linda Chapman became interested in nudism about 20 years ago. Barney saw an article in a magazine about Cypress Cove Nudist Resort & Spa in Kissimmee, Fla., and he booked a three-day stop there on the couple’s trip to the Florida Keys. Barney and Linda, of Logan, enjoyed the stay and decided to make nudism a part of their lifestyle.

Several nudist resorts are within a reasonable driving distance from Athens. Barney and Linda opened Bare Valley Family Nudist Camp in Logan, about 40 minutes from Athens, in the early 1990s.

Bare Valley — which, Linda stresses, is a family-oriented, true nudist facility that does not advocate sexual activity — is a 60-acre resort surrounded by Wayne National Forest. It’s open from the first weekend in April until the last full weekend in September. Anywhere from 12 to 25 nudists visit Bare Valley on a given weekend, Barney and Linda said, but sometimes Bare Valley hosts 50 to 100 guests.

Tucked away in Hocking Hills is another nudist resort, the Summit Lodge Resort, in Rockbridge. Barney said about eight to 10 different resorts exist in Ohio for nudists to visit.

Zen Nudist said nudist resorts generally have “a very safe atmosphere.” People tend to be friendly. Some might think that attendees are swingers, pedophiles or homosexuals, but many resorts are pure nudist resorts and filter visitors more than nude beaches.

Some resorts try to attract these swinger crowds, and Zen Nudist suggests learning which resorts are better for which purposes by accessing nudist Web sites and discussion boards.

Nudist resorts allow people to be individuals. Losing clothing sheds a person of his or her social identity because shoes and clothes are a status symbol, whereas communication is based on the individual, Linda said.

“Once you come here and people take (their) clothes off, all you have is your personality,” Barney said.

PETA: More Human Flesh, Less Animal Flesh

2007-10-05T21:14:00.000-07:00

For the record...the Musings (Mr and Mrs) are not vegetarians. But they keep using nekkid people in their ads...

Whose Naked Bod?

Seems getting naked is the new getting dressed in Hollywood these days.

You can hardly move for stars stripping down, at one with the world in their birthday suits.

But who's the latest recruit in the celeb bare-all brigade?

It's the not-so-shy Alicia Silverstone.

Has the blonde-haired beauty had it with clothes? Or is she a newly reformed nudist perhaps?

Well, actually it's neither of the above.

Lisha has proved she's not so clueless when it comes to the more serious issues in life.

This little naked stunt is all part of the ad campaign she's signed up to in support of the animal rights group Peta (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).

And she's not the only celeb who's passionate about Peta.

In fact, the organisation boasts an impressive hall of famous faces who've given their backing to the cause.

And a fair handful of these have felt strongly enough to get their kit off in a move to raise the campaign's profile.

More on the Nudist Republican Leader in Arizona

2007-09-28T21:28:00.000-07:00

GOP activist is proud of his nudism, party

Richard Ruelas

The Arizona Republic

Sept. 29, 2007 12:00 AM

His political contributions, totaling more than $18,000 since 2003, and his volunteer work for his legislative precinct, have put Kraus on a first-name basis with the state's top Republican officials. The party recently named Kraus to a post on its finance committee, heaping praise on him for attracting new Republicans. The state Democratic Party responded with a mocking press release. Republican Party officials now politely decline to discuss Kraus.Kraus expected Democrats to make sport of his nudism. And he knows that it causes some members of his own party to keep their distance. But Kraus remains steadfast in his politics. He would wear his Republican pride on his sleeve if he regularly wore a shirt.On the wall of his office hang framed pictures of Ronald Reagan and President George W. Bush. There's also a hook where Kraus keeps clothes that he can get into quickly in case shy visitors come by.
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"As a self-thinking individual, like most nudists are, they want the government to stay out of their way," Kraus said, "and the Republican Party is that for the most part."Kraus, 77, has been a Republican longer than he has been a practicing nudist. Kraus said that he frequently would be nude as a child, something that was "not a big deal" in Germany, he said. He became an adult nudist after he moved to the United States, settling in Illinois. He and his wife, Gini, had to travel to neighboring Indiana because there were no nudist camps in Illinois, Kraus said."You take your clothes off and everyone looks alike," he said. "You take the pressure off the everyday business, the competition, of how to dress and how to look good."You take that away and it's an unbelievable feeling that no one can understand unless they experience it."

'Anthem for nudists'

Kraus moved to Arizona to retire and took over Shangri-La in 1997, figuring running the nudist ranch would be a nice hobby. He turned it into a job, though, as he expanded and improved the ranch. One of those projects was a sewage system for the ranch's trailers. Kraus also is using some of the treated water to grow oleanders along the border of the property. They'll come in handy as a natural shield as more homes move in around the formerly isolated area.

Next, Kraus wants to build a community of two dozen single-family, red-tile-roofed homes on land just south of his ranch. "Like a little Anthem for nudists," he called it, referring to the giant subdivision a few miles north.

Kraus said his entrepreneurial spirit attracted him to the Republican Party after he and his wife immigrated to the United States in 1960. He was already a successful businessman, but started his own contracting business, which blossomed despite what he described as overbearing government regulation. Kraus' first vote after becoming a U.S. citizen was for Richard Nixon in the presidential election of 1968. "I would like everyone to become self-sufficient," Kraus said. "There is no need to become a state-funded breadbasket." He said this while removing his clothes for a photo shoot.

Kraus started giving heavily to Arizona Republican candidates and the state party in 2003. He said he wanted to ensure Republicans remained in power. Campaign records show he has given to U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl and U.S. Reps. John Shadegg and Rick Renzi. In the election year of 2004, he also donated to the state Republican parties of Ohio, Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Florida. So far this year, he has donated $3,950, nearly the maximum amount allowed, to U.S. Sen. John McCain's presidential run."We're really cranking it up now," he said of the donations from him and his wife. Records show she has donated more than $10,000 to Republican causes since 2003. "I want to see a Republican in the White House," Horst Kraus said, "and I want that Republican to be John McCain."

'OK' with leaders

Although the party appreciates his checkbook, Kraus knows that some question how visible a role a nudist should have in the Republican Party."I don't think I have any enemies. I just have people in the Republican Party who think I'm nuts. And the feeling is mutual," he said. "As far as the movers and shakers in the party, I'm all right."

Kraus recalled being at a party function when Jan Brewer, the secretary of state and the top elected Republican official in Arizona, introduced him to her son. "She said, 'Horst owns a nudist camp. But it's OK.' "Brewer said she has long appreciated Kraus' dedication to the Republican Party. "He is a man who knows what his philosophy is and what he believes and is very adamant about it," she said.

Even before Kraus started writing checks, Brewer said, he was a reliable volunteer. She said for the past decade, Kraus could be counted on to knock on doors, make phone calls or grill hamburgers and hot dogs at a GOP rally. "He really is a very generous man with his energy and his time," Brewer said.His nudism has not been an issue for Brewer. "They can still be upstanding citizens, can't they?" Brewer asked of nudists. "And be good Republicans."

Tom Horne, the state's superintendent of public instruction, said he has met Kraus at several party functions. Horne said he understands why some may shy away from Kraus, but added that "being a nudist is not the same as being a sexual deviant."

The party prides itself on being a "big tent," and should be able to accept someone like Kraus, Horne said. "Or the party will have to learn to cry a lot from the results of the elections," he said.

When Kraus was named to the Arizona Republican Party's finance committee in August, the communications director for the party praised the nudist ranch operator. Brett Mecum told the Arizona Capitol Times that Kraus was doing a "heck of a job" at recruiting voters.

The Arizona Democratic Party relished the news that Kraus had been appointed to a leadership position. The party issued a news release headlined "Nudist czar named to Arizona GOP Finance Committee." It questioned Republicans' commitment to "family values," bringing up a case where Kraus was called to testify as a character witness for a person accused of child molestation. Kraus had phoned the police about the incident.

Republican Party officials have since distanced themselves from the leadership decision. "We have no desire to actually talk about that," Mecum said. "To us, it's really not all that newsworthy."

'Proud conservatives'

Mecum said that Kraus' appointment was automatic given his donations to the party. However, campaign-contribution records show that Kraus has not given recently to the Arizona Republican Party. His combined $5,000 in contributions to the party came in 2003 and 2004. Mecum refused to clarify the decision to give Kraus the position.

Randy Pullen, chairman of the state Republican Party, would not agree to an interview about Kraus. Mecum did confirm that Pullen gave up his seat to allow Kraus to be part of the delegation that attended the 2004 Republican Convention. Kraus said he was grateful to Pullen for doing so and that he met a few other nudists on the convention floor."Nudists are proud conservatives," he said.Kraus knows his lifestyle has cost him some political positions, and he's aware it could cause some from the Republican Party to be turned off. If state leaders asked him to not take such a visible role, he said he would consider stepping back for the good of all Republicans. But he's not sure if he would continue donating to a party that didn't appreciate his efforts."

That's the $64,000 question," he said. "I don't know. If it happens, ask me then. But I hope it never happens."

Leave your troubles (and clothes) behind

2007-09-24T04:37:00.000-07:00

Leave your troubles (and clothes) behind

By Beth Brelje

Pocono Record Writer

September 23, 2007

Fashion dictates no white shoes after Labor Day, but birthday suits are always in season. Just not always practical.

Along with nippy fall temperatures, came the season clothes-er at Sunny Rest nudist resort in Palmerton last weekend.

Now that the grounds are bare of visitors, resort co-owner Myra Mesher, 53, has time to reveal more about the nudist lifestyle.

Why do some people drop their drawers and shun their shirts?

"It makes them feel free. It's relaxing. When they arrive in the gate they can let everything go," Mesher said. As people shed their clothes, she noted, they also shed their stress.

Sunny Rest Resort draws an array of people, families, couples and singles, from truck drivers to doctors to bankers. When everyone is in the buff, it takes away the preconceived notions that clothes bring.

On 190 acres, Sunny Rest offers the same things you would find at most resorts. A hotel, cabins, campground, pool, nightclub and organized activities such as sand volleyball.

Does naked volleyball get a bit jiggly?

"Not really. It's not like running," Mesher said.

Do eyes wander, or are most guests able to maintain eye contact?

"When you are new you look once, then get used to it. Everyone is more or less the same," Mesher said.

"The resort is clothing optional, so people have a chance to ease into the nudist thing," she added.

Mesher eased into nudism at 18, in 1972 at Sunny Rest. "I was nervous. I sat on the porch of my in-law's cabin."

She was topless for the first time, when to her surprise, a police car drove by. "I ran inside," she recalled. Later she learned that the police patrolled the area regularly and expected such sights at the resort.

"I got back out there. After that, I took off all my clothes and became comfortable. But it's gotta be 80 degrees for me (to go nude). We dress for the weather. We're not nuts," Mesher said.

A naked trespasser learned that the hard way, once.

Assuming everyone would be nude, he snuck onto the property and hoped to blend in. But it was 55 degrees and everyone else was dressed.

"That's how we knew he didn't belong there," Mesher said.

There are some rules you won't find at other resorts. For example, you must carry a towel to sit on, photography is generally not permitted, nudity is required in the pool and whirlpool, so leave your bathing suit at home.

The rules make it clear that it is not a sex club and "conduct requiring no apology is the accepted rule at Sunny Rest at all times."

The resort, usually full on summer weekends, has been in business since 1945. Day passes are available for guests who don't want to stay overnight.

Sunny Rest Nudist Resort

Palmerton

www.sunnyrest.com

(866) SUNNY-50

According to the American Association for Nude Recreation, more than 18 percent of Americans would find a visit to a nudist club or other clothes-free experience a highly desirable vacation choice.

Buff Carpenter Scrapes By

2007-09-08T21:56:00.000-07:00

Judge acquits nude carpenter of indecency

Elizabeth Fernandez, Chronicle Staff Writer

Friday, September 7, 2007

(09-06) 21:02 PDT OAKLAND -- Percy Honniball, an Oakland carpenter with a fondness for working in the buff, was acquitted today of misdemeanor indecent exposure.

"I wanted to go to trial to prove that the charge could not stick, that it was an over-reaction, " said the 51-year-old building contractor. "You don't expect to all of a sudden see somebody in the nude, but there was never a threat, never anyone in danger."

In October 2005, Honniball was working on a bookshelf project at a client's house in the Montclair district of Oakland when a neighbor spotted him carrying materials in the nude, said Honniball's attorney, David Beauvais.

"The neighbor happened to be a police officer in Berkeley, she reported him," Beauvais said. "He was engaged in an activity where he was not intending to draw attention, he was simply doing his work. He was not acting in a lewd manner."

Honniball had previously clashed with local law enforcement over public nakedness - Berkeley had cited him three times since 2000.

Ending a three-day, non-jury trial, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Julie Conger today acquitted him, sparing Honniball a lifetime of registering as a sex offender.

Prosecutor Erin Loback said she had no comment.

As for Honniball, he's learned his lesson. If grudgingly.

"He's not going to continue to work naked, at least not where he'll be in a public area," said Beauvais.

Email Elizabeth Fernandez at efernandez@sfchroni cle.com

http://sfgate. com/cgi-bin/ article.cgi? f=/c/a/2007/ 09/07/BAKIS11B8. DTL

It Just Makes Sense (and Saves Dollars!)

2007-09-07T11:42:00.000-07:00

Why are these ladies smiling? No laundry to do this week!

How Nudism Can Save You Money

September 6, 2007

By Nathan Powers

Nudists (or “naturists” as some prefer to be referred to), have been the brunt of many a joke for many years. However, the truth of the matter is that living a nudist lifestyle may actually be far better for you, physically, ecologically and economically.

That dirty word – “Laundry”: Let’s start with the obvious. Nudists tend to wear as little clothing as possible, usually nothing at all, as often as possible or whenever conditions allow. Most live in climates that are tropical enough to maximize this opportunity. Wearing less clothing means washing less clothing and washing the clothing that they own less frequently, requiring the repair and replacement of clothing less often. They also tend to have less of a wardrobe, requiring less storage space. So here, we are seeing a saving in money spent on laundry detergents, gas and electricity to operate a washer and dryer, replacement clothing and repair costs, home closet or storage space. We also see less chlorine, phosphates, ozone and carbon dioxide pumped into the environment as well as a reduction in health issues related to exposure to the chemicals needed for properly washing clothing. (Chlorine bleach is one of the deadliest chemicals we can expose ourselves to).

Cooling Down: Since for practicality reasons, most nudists live in either tropical or subtropical regions, many homes and businesses in those regions have some form of air conditioning. Nudists can save money and as in the case of laundry, the environment, by being able to turn up the thermostat a few degrees and allowing the natural cooling system provided in our bodies to do it’s job. Also, if things get a little too hot, it is very easy to simply jump in a cool shower or hose off for a second or two with having to take the time to get undress and redressed. Besides, who wants to throw those sweaty clothing back on right after a shower.

Health Costs: There are other bonuses as well. It has recently been found that exposure to natural sunlight is far healthier to the human body than attempting to hide from the sun altogether. Regulated exposure to natural sunlight lets the body naturally produce all of the Vitamin “D” it needs to ward off a host of deadly and debilitating diseases, cancers and conditions, including MS, ALS, osteoporosis, breast, ovarian, prostate and brain cancers. (source) Even more recent reports indicate that almost all sunscreens are completely ineffective in reducing the deadliest forms of cancer, melanoma (source). Several reports indicate that the ingredients used to manufacture sunscreens are actually more harmful that the cancers they purport to prevent. However, by balancing the ratio of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, combined with an adequate amount of Vitamin “D”, incidence of melanoma has shown to be reduced by around 40% (source). It is therefore better to gradually expose the body to the sun, slowly building up our body’s own natural sunscreen, melanin, being careful not to get sunburned in the process.

The bottom line is that nudists can save a ton of money by not buying sunscreen, simply exposing themselves to natural sunlight in appropriate amounts; there by creating Vitamin “D” for free and by simply eating a diet that balances omega 3 acids. This can be done through supplement or through adding fish, flax or kiwi fruit to their diets. The real savings come from not having to pay medical bills for treatments for all of the conditions.

Stuff: Nudism is often referred to as the “Great Equalizer”. When people are naked around other people, it is difficult to tell if a person is the president of a bank, or a school janitor. Consequently, nudists tend to be far less “class-conscious”. Nudists are typically less likely to want to keep up with the Joneses, realizing that not only do clothes not really make the man, but neither do homes, cars, boats etc.

More Health - Less Stress - More Money: Studies have also found that children raised in nudist homes tend to be more socially developed (and often more intelligent) than those raised in “textile” families. Nudists generally feel that they have nothing to hide. That attitude permeates the rest of their psyche as well, so they tend to be less stressed out and more sure of themselves. We have probably all heard about the health problems produced by living under stress. Nudists save money by not having to treat as many stress related disorders. (source - pdf format) Also, by being more self confident, and supposedly better educated, they are more likely to get better jobs, making more money.

Society: Those same group of studies indicated that children raised in nudist homes are less inclined to become burdens to society. They are less likely to become involved in early sexual or drug experimentation or to commit crimes against society. This is partially because they are not as materially oriented and because they are already familiar with the looks and workings of the opposite sex. In general, nudity allows them to be more open and honest in their family life, which is expressed in how they relate to others in general. Nudists save money by not having to bail their children out of jail, take them to the doctors to treat sexually transmitted diseases or help them raise unwanted grandchildren (as frequently). If all families raised their children with the same attitudes as nudists, we would all be able to save money by having to pay less in taxes to support fewer children of unwanted pregnancies, drug addicts, juvenile delinquents, vandalism, etc.

A Connecticut Text on the Nude Volleyball Court

2007-09-03T11:29:00.000-07:00

Nudie Newbies

Getting Naked To Uncover What All The Fuss Is About

The icon of nudist recreation, volleyball still remains the most popular sport at Solair, where the evening volleyball! yell echos through the trees, summoning regular players and beckoning curious first-timers. Zo Ross, a veteran volleyball player, front, grew up with the naturist lifestyle, returning to the ways of youth with his wife and son. Morley Schloss, a guest of Solair, backs up Zo on the court and has been a proponent of the naturist lifestyle since attending Woodstock in 1969. (JAY L. CLENDENIN, File Photo / August 1, 2001)

By JOANN KLIMKIEWICZ | The Hartford Courant

September 2, 2007

A valid driver's license and a towel, he tells me.

"That's it?" I ask the voice on the other end of the line.

That's about all you'll need, confirms the man in the registration office of Solair Recreation League, a family-oriented nudist resort -- New England's oldest -- tucked in the lush woods of northeastern Connecticut.

I inform my sister, Donna, of this abbreviated packing list.

"Oh, man," she sighs. "Seriously?"

I had recruited my reluctant partner in nudism after reading an Associated Press story earlier this summer about the plight of such resorts as Solair, hurting for younger members. The story reported Solair's median age as 55, with the American Association for Nude Recreation estimating that more than 90 percent of its 50,000 members across the country are over 35.

Among their outreach efforts, the story said, some resorts are mounting promotional days for college students and offering sliding, age-based fees. Solair, for example, charges $25 for a first-time visit and $500 for an annual membership. For the under-40 set, that drops to $17.50 for a first-timer, and $300 for the year.

But the age gap didn't completely make sense to me. What of the supposed youthful abandon of those in their 20s and 30s? What about all the spring-break resorts teeming with tight-and-toned young things just a sneeze away from being naked anyway?

I'm about to turn 30, and I wanted to see for myself what these clubs have to offer my generation, find out exactly what kind of fun we might be missing out on.

"You know you are the only person I'd do this for, right?" Donna, 32, says, breaking the long pause after I asked her to tag along for moral support.

Why are we both so skittish? We mull it over on the leafy drive into Woodstock. I had gone topless at a nude beach in New Jersey on a pair of occasions in college. Donna went the full monty at one during a summer trip to Poland. Together we took regular visits to a Russian bath house in New York's East Village, where, on Lady's Day, clothing was an option we never chose.

We felt comfortable enough in our skin to flash it on other occasions. So why were we, and our demographic, so hesitant to strip down to our socks and sandals at a nude resort? We knew nudism wasn't about sex but about clothes-free relaxation and body acceptance. We knew Solair, according to its website (www.solairrl.com), was "celebrating 70 years of family nudism."

As we turn left on Ide Perrin Road, my stomach in knots, the best answer we can come up with was the anxiety of the unknown, and maybe our ingrained image - right or wrong - of such places as campy playgrounds for free-wheeling hippie throwbacks.

We arrive at the electric gate. As I push the buzzer, I see a flier on the adjacent notice board announcing the morning's pancake breakfast for kids. Pancakes! Kids! I can't image a more non-threatening combination. I ease a bit.

"Wait," my sister says. "When exactly are we supposed to get naked? Do you think we're supposed to show up without our clothes on?"

"Yeah, Donna - they're gonna make us strip right here and leave our clothes at the gate."

"I don't know. I'm just sayin'."

The gate opens. I park beside the registration building. As we shuffle up the wooden stairs, I catch my first glimpse of naked flesh through the office window.

Generation Gap

Time and money. These things, not body insecurities or misconceptions about nudism, is what keeps the youngsters away, says Steve Vickers, a spokesman for the American Association for Nude Recreation.

He should know. He's 26. But then, he was raised a nudist.

"I just know that our generation is a lot more wrapped up with a lot more things - school, work, starting a family," says Vickers. Becoming a member of any club has become a harder sell, he says, citing Robert Putnam's 1995 book on the subject of civic disengagement, "Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital." Consider that most nude-resort memberships hover around several hundred dollars, and the pitch becomes that much more difficult.

"Besides my membership to AANR, I don't have a membership to anything," he says. "No one even joins the library anymore. And that's free."

As such, many resorts aren't upping their marketing efforts to the demographic, he says, knowing they're more likely to reach them a little later in life.

But at Caliente Resorts, a luxury, clothing-optional resort just north of Tampa Bay, a targeted marketing push in just the last year has proven successful in pulling in younger faces, says Terra Boddy, marketing director. Aiming for a broader audience, the resort switched from nude to clothing optional at the start of the year. Caliente went from a 70 percent membership over the age of 50 as a nude resort, to 70 percent between the ages of 25 and 45 as a clothing-optional resort.

Nude On The Block

She wears nothing but a yellow baseball cap, sneakers and a reassuring smile.

"You guys nervous?" the Solair tour guide asks as she hops off the golf cart and introduces herself to me and Donna, standing outside the main office after we hadpaid and registered for the day.

"Yes," we say in unison.

"Don't be," says the woman, who I guess is in her 40s. We're in good hands, she explains, in a resort that screens its membership and leans heavily to multi-generational families. This isn't the type of place where men will leer or make advances. If they do, she says, report it, and the staff will take care of it.

We get back in the car and follow her golf cart to an enclosed, wooded parking lot.

"Well, there's never any other way to say it," the woman smiles. She instructs us to "get comfortable" and then meet her a few yards away, back at her golf cart.

"You mean - right here?" I stammer. There's no better time or place, she says.

And so we duck into the car, clothes scattering to the floor. Towel deliberately bunched between my crossed arms, I scurry back to the cart, a little startled when I get a flash of my naked self in the reflection of my car window. Our guide explains the ground rules, chief among them that we'll need our towel to sit on wherever we go - golf cart, picnic table, canoe.

"It's one of the hardest things to remember," she says. Donna and I later agree - we're pretty sure it's the easiest thing to remember.

Our guide gives us a tour of the grounds - of the lodging, the volleyball and tennis courts, the pool and recreation room, sauna and canteen, and finally the beach. It all has a kitschy campground feel, rustic and woodsy but clean and comfortable. After a routine Q&A to find out more about us, she leaves us to our day.

This is really not a big deal, Donna and I agree, surrounded by flesh of all colors and shapes, as we head to the beach. As we scan the lounge chairs, we see seniors reading their beach books, chatting in groups, even see a gaggle of teenagers - boys and girls - splashing in the water. It all feels rather European, really.

But we've done this part before. It's the nude-recreation part that will be new to us. So we decide an activity is in order. We rule out tennis and volleyball, agreeing that nothing that induces so much bounce should be done sans athletic support. Shuffleboard it is.

Only, we've never played. After Donna and I stare quizzically at the board for a few minutes, a trio of older, grayer gentleman come over to help us out. I tense up - my first real nudie interaction. But after handshakes and introductions, it becomes clear it's all harmless.

"Good to see some new faces," says one. "Especially young ones."

They explain the rules, but I'm having trouble concentrating, especially when a breeze kicks up, and I am reminded: Oh, my God. I'm playing shuffleboard . Naked. This, and the sight of my nude sister high-fiving her nude, crisply tanned partner, is all I could think of.

Our new acquaintances, however, seem much more enthralled with the game.

"Nice 8, Leo," cheers one. "Nice 8."

Any preconceived notions are certainly shattered in the span of a Sunday afternoon. The people we meet are retirees, blue-collar and white. Women and men.

Still, I'm not convinced. It is all fine enough for an afternoon, but I can't picture myself coming every weekend, as most members do. Lounging poolside in the nude? Fantastic. Chatting with strangers or leaping to spike a volleyball while nude? I have to say, it feels kind of weird. I don't know if that's about age or if that's just me.

What's The Big Deal?

So what is the allure? That is the question I kept asking the gaggle of members we talk with by the pool.

Some say it is the ultimate freedom - relaxing from life's everyday constraints, including clothes. Some say they delight in the naturalism of it all, of accepting themselves and others for exactly how God made them. One man explains that so much of class and identity gets wrapped up in the clothes we wear - business suits, construction pants - that to shed oneself of those material things puts everyone on the same level.

"We're all just people," he says, adding later, "I'm telling you, when you leave here, when you have to put your clothes back on? You're going to feel depressed."

We excuse ourselves for a stroll in the woods, batting at bugs and pondering the whole scenario. Donna wraps her towel around her chest. I look at her strangely. "What?" she says. "I just feel like, you know, they've been out for so long. I just need to pull 'em back up for a bit."

We agree, there comes a point when it's time to put your clothes back on. This is our time.

As I dress, the sensation of clothing does feel strange - heavy, even. We pull out of the gates, both quiet and processing our thoughts.

"So," Donna says. "Do you feel depressed, now that you have your clothes back on?"

"No."

"Me neither. I like my clothes."

Reach Joann Klimkiewicz at jklimkiewicz@courant.com.

GOP Names Nudist to Leadership in Arizona

2007-08-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

Above: a photo from Shangri-La Ranch, not a GOP convention.

August 25, 2007

Nudist named to Arizona GOP committee

Paul Giblin, Tribune

Arizona’s Republican Party named Horst Kroust, the owner of a nudist resort in New River, to the party’s finance committee, a move that is drawing criticism from Democrats because the resort allows nude children to mingle with other nude children and adults.

Shangri La Ranch’s Web site offers this assessment of the facility: “Shangri La Ranch is one of the finest clothingoptional, family-oriented, year round recreational facilities in the Western United States. We emphasize the freedom of choice. You select the activity that suits you — from quiet relaxation to recreation.”

The resort also offered a weeklong camp for children in 2003. The camp was like other youth camps, except that the campers were naked, Kroust said.

Criticism by Democrats is unwarranted, Kroust said.

“Why is it their business?” he said. “This is absolutely absurd. What do those people think they are?”

The resort’s Web site on Friday included photos of nude adults lounging at a pool, gardening, playing sand volleyball and participating in other activities. One photo shows a child, though the photo is cropped tightly to show just the child’s head and shoulders.

About 60 families are staying at the resort, though no underage children were at the facility Friday, Kroust said in a telephone interview.

“I don’t know what the obsession with naked children is,” he said.

State GOP party spokesman Brett Mecum said Kroust was named to the finance committee on the basis that he has donated $5,000 to the party.

“Anyone who gives $5,000 or more to the Arizona Republican Party is an automatic member of the finance committee,” he said. Kroust also has recruited a number of new volunteers and registered voters to the party.

Mecum said he has little dealings with the committee and he didn’t know when Kroust was admitted to the committee, how many members the committee has or whether admittance has criteria other than hitting the $5,000 threshold.

GOP chairman Randy Pullen was not available for comment directly. Mecum said Pullen feels it’s appropriate to give Kroust a place within the state party’s leadership structure on the basis that he is a legitimate business owner.

Democrats were quick to criticize the appointment.

“If this doesn’t tell you what the Arizona Republican Party really thinks about family values, I don’t know what does,” said Emily Bittner, communications director of the Arizona Democratic Party.

The Republican Party countered the Democrats have little standing on family values, considering former President Bill Clinton is an admitted adulterer..”

Jade Jagger, Mick's Daughter, is a Nudist

2007-08-26T07:26:00.000-07:00

Jade Jagger leaves the bikini at home and gets to the naked truth

Last updated at 11:23am on 20th August 2007

Jade Jagger decided to leave the swimwear behind while visiting her local beach - and opted for a spot of nude sunbathing instead.

With only suntan lotion to cover her skin, the daughter of Rolling Stone Mick Jagger and former model Bianca, spent the afternoon in the buff as she topped up her tan at Cala Pluma beach near her home in Ibiza.

The 35-year-old jewellery designer obviously isn't a fan of 'white bits' - as she's been photographed nude by the sea twice before.

Scroll down for more pictures...

Jade Jagger, daughter of Rolling Stone Mick, remembers the book and suntan lotion - but leaves the bikini at home on a visit to Cala Pluma beach in Ibiza

The bare cheeked truth: Jade has been photographed in the nude twice before

She seemed more concerned with catching up on her reading and greeting local animals than being spotted in her birthday suit.

Jagger, mother of two daughters, Assisi and Amba, often makes the headlines for her uninhibited personal life rather than her modelling or design work.

Jade greets a local animal

Earlier this year she stunned fellow passengers on a Virgin Atlantic flight from London to New York with her drunken antics.

The riotous behaviour of her party was so extreme she had to be reprimanded by cabin crew.

According to one passenger, her entourage "proceeded to get drunk and loud and were falling down in the aisles, climbing over seats, pointing at people and talking about them aloud.

"They helped themselves to bottles from the bar and generally disrupted the entire first-class section.

"One of the group took the wine from another passenger's dinner tray and drank it - then said, 'Your wine sucks anyway'."

The passenger also claimed that on landing "Jade was kicking the flight attendant from under her duvet to stop the flight attendants putting her tray away because her feet were on it".

At the time, her spokesman Sara Forage denied Jagger had kicked anyone on board and said she had merely been having "fun".

She told the New York Post: "Jade has a fear of flying and often has a drink before she boards a flight to calm her down."

Jagger's enviable figure has won her a number of modelling contracts over the past decade. Although her last one was modelling underwear for the rather unglamorous high street chain Debenhams.

Naked Surfing at Black's Beach

2007-08-20T21:52:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's been unseasonably hot in Southern California, and for those who are curious, there are nude surfers there and at San Onofre State beach, both in San Diego County.

Skinny-Dipping Scene from 1934 "Tarzan"

2007-08-20T17:41:00.000-07:00

It's Called Targeted Marketing

2007-08-20T17:24:00.000-07:00

Young and Bare Down Under?

2007-08-20T17:19:00.002-07:00

Young nudists don't hang out

Article from:

Graham Readfearn

August 21, 2007 12:00am

THE next issue of The Australian Naturist magazine - TAN for short - looks at some of the clothes-free movement's newest pastimes.

"We are looking at some of the more alternative new features of naturism, like fire dancing," says Les Rootsey, the magazine's publisher based at Runaway Bay on the Gold Coast.

Rootsey's choice of lead story is aimed at attracting younger readers.

Recent reports suggest that in the US a failure to appeal to the younger generation means naturism (or nudism, the terms are generally interchangeable) is being left out in the cold.

Most 20-somethings, one resort owner in the US complained, don't want to sit around in the buff with people who look like their parents.

It is a problem which Rootsey obviously has his eye on.

TAN sells 20,000 copies every quarter in Australia, and a further 10,000 or more across countries such as New Zealand, Canada, the US and Britain.

Rootsey says he has "lots of younger readers" but they don't tend to join official groups.

"Younger people don't see organised activities as the way to go any more," he says.

The president of Queensland's Adam and Eve Social Group, who asked to be identified as Bill Evans, says the shortage of young blood makes him worried for the future of the naturist movement.

The group has about 100 members spread across Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, but the majority are aged well over 40. Club members meet every two weeks to spend time nude in each other's company.

They will hire out boats, restaurants and take advantage of the acreage properties of some of the members. Occasionally, more so in winter, club members engage in "textile activities", where clothes are necessary, such as watching professional sport.

Evans, 50, compares naturism to the gay and lesbian movement, which has slowly emerged from its cloistered state to variable degrees of acceptance across the world. "They got courageous and came out of the closet. They are not as covert as in the past, but that can't be said for our movement. I think it is fair to say there is concern for the (nudist) movement going into decline."

Evans says the lack of legal nude beaches in Queensland is exacerbating the problem, but he says that "more generally, the movement seems to lack appeal for younger people".

As in other states, public nudity is against the law in Queensland. The offence in question is wilful exposure, and is contained in the Summary Offences Act 2005. The law states a person "must not wilfully expose his or her genitals, unless the person has a reasonable excuse" either in a public place, or somewhere close enough to be seen from a public place. But unlike other states, Queensland has no legal nude beaches, despite the efforts of lobby groups such as Free Beaches Australia.

But that's not to say that nude bathing doesn't happen, and there are a number of unofficial nudist beaches along the Queensland coast, the most famous being Alexandria Beach on the Sunshine Coast.

So the only legal place for naturists to be in their preferred unclothed state is in private resorts and retreats.

Lisa Wright, 43, runs the Eureka Road Naturist Retreat, about 60km northwest of Maryborough, with husband Darryl, 46.

The couple has owned the retreat for 13 years and get about 80 couples a year. Singles and families with children are not allowed.

Lisa says the movement is "extremely healthy", but admits most active nudists are in their 50s. She says the only younger people their retreat attracts are Europeans, in particular Dutch, Swedish and Danish travellers.

But Wright says the emergence of porn on the internet has led some people to confuse the innocent values of naturism with the sex industry.

"If you punch in the word nude, you'll get porn, and that then reinforces that grey area of not knowing," she says.

She regularly fields calls from people who think their retreat is a place to indulge in sexual deviance, which it is not.

Newcastle-based photographer Alex Giles, 32, is trying to give nudists an unambiguous presence on the web with a newly launched website.

Operating as a sort of online nudist colony, the site gives people the chance to have professional nude pictures placed on the web in non-sexual poses.

"We set it up because we thought there was a gap on the web for everyday people to appear nude," Giles says.

"Historically there have always been problems getting young people attracted to nudism because it is a lot about accepting your body image."

First launched in 2005, the new site has more than 500 members who pay a subscription to view the pictures of themselves and others.

But doesn't that sound remarkably like a pornographic website? Giles insists it is not.

"There's no question of it being porn and we make it clear that it is not an adult site or a porn site," he says.

"It's purely just people without clothes. There is a debate about whether that alone is porn, but we assert that it is not."

"And they were not ashamed..."

2007-08-02T10:27:00.000-07:00

Naked Before God
Christian nudists hit the church—and the hot tub—for three days of wet and wild worship in the backwoods of Tennessee

by Elizabeth Ulrich

Photos by Eric England

It’s unusually cool for a June evening at the Cherokee Lodge, and the nudists have finally covered up. They sit at round plastic tables under the pavilion’s tin roof, drinking $3 cans of Miller High Life and watching a 60-something in a teal thong shake her deep-dimpled ass to some Top 40 song. Every once in a while, she spins to reveal quick snapshots of her nipples peaking out of a fishnet top that sparkles under the disco ball and Technicolor spotlights.
Soon the sweaty DJ spins the “Electric Boogie” as a herd of middle-aged and elderly bodies, sagging in painful ways, begin to move mechanically to the electric slide on the dance floor. Some of the more practical women wear blouses and sweaters with no panties, others wear tube tops that they wriggle down and over their breasts, which sway freely to the beat. The men, some donning only cowboy hats and dingy pearl-snap shirts, terrycloth robes or nothing at all, rock their hips—and subsequently, their dangling genitals—with complete abandon. They all shimmy from side to side, tilting forward and snapping their fingers in the most bizarre display of jiggly, full-frontal nudity.

When a slow country song wafts through the night air, most of the 40 or so nudists couple off. Rick, a financial analyst from Kingsport, Tenn., who asked that we only use his first name, seems to be the only eligible bachelor at the nudist resort’s Saturday-night dance. He and I sit alone, swilling overpriced beer and talking about his divorce, the days of disco and how he’s usually not very social at these things.

Rick’s wearing a “Watch Out!! I’m Here to Raze Hell” T-shirt, which covers a boyish upper body with no tan lines. He’s managed to avoid the round belly and love handles common among the midlife nudist set. You might not notice him at a bar in the city, but here, at a party in the thicket of the Cumberland Plateau nearly two hours east of Nashville, Rick’s a silver fox.

A few women do, in fact, ask him to dance—an older, 5-foot-tall woman almost as round as she is tall drags him onto the cement dance floor for a Shania Twain song. And the leggy brunette bartender who mans the beat-up beer fridge in the corner gets Rick smiling big toothy grins as they dance to a disco beat. She’s sporting nipple rings so elaborately coiled around her small breasts that you can’t help but stare.

Neither woman is looking for any action, but Rick doesn’t care. He’s here for Jesus.

Bible Study Kevin Moore and his wife, Myra, talk scripture at Saturday morning convocation.
He has joined more than 20 others for the Christian Nudist Convocation, a semi-annual gathering of salt-of- the-earth folks whose dedication to being nude whenever possible is rivaled only by their love for Christ. “May the Lord protect our nudity from the sight of those who will not benefit, and may He allow us to be seen by those who will.... Amen,” goes the prayer from one of the nudist’s websites.

In three days, they’ll hike, swim, barbecue, have sing-alongs and, of course, praise Jesus au natural. Some won’t put as much as a shirt on all weekend. For most, the convocation is a respite from their churches, neighbors and families—the prudes of the clothed world who are scared to high heaven by the thought of bare butts on church pews. For others, it’s a coming-out event, a safe place to test the waters where “Christian nudist” isn’t considered an oxymoron.
For now, Rick’s the only CNCer on the dance floor. Two of the convocation’s couples sit and watch, but the rest of the Christians are minding the children at the campsite or stewing in the hot tub, which sits in a small cabin made of weather-worn wood. The Christians have cornered an atheist in the Jacuzzi, and it’s time to get to work.

All this late-night drinking and dancing is not quite their scene, even though tonight’s party is devoid of the grinding and dry humping you’d see at most nightclubs. They came here to learn how to be better Christians, to discuss how Jesus jibes with nudism and to enjoy the hot tub jets without swim trunks. But they’ve got a higher purpose. They’re here to let the rest of the nudies know that Jesus loves them. And he doesn’t care what they’re wearing.

The CNCers make up a good percentage of this weekend’s Cherokee Lodge clientele, who have made their way off Interstate 40 to a wooded area just outside of Crossville, the golf capital of Tennessee. More than 100 people occupy the campsites, cabins and RVs littered across the nudist resort’s 240 acres—not counting the few dozen others who have taken up permanent residency in trailers on the lot. This isn’t exactly a big showing for Cherokee: the ladies in the main office say quite a few of their beer-drinking regulars decided to stay home when they heard the Christians were coming.

But after all of the flak the CNCers get in their hometowns for their nudist ways, they’ve decided their divine mission is here. And it isn’t an easy one. Many of their fellow nude vacationers are looking for an empty lawn chair, a good buzz and an even better tan, which leaves the CNC crowd torn between two worlds: the Christians who think their nudist ways are crazy, and the nudists who don’t want to be bothered with all this Jesus talk.

“We’re foremost Christians, but most Christians don’t want to accept that,” says Kevin Moore, the CNC’s Saturday worship leader. “In a church, if someone finds out you’re a nudist, you’re condemned. And nudists have a poor view of Christians because they bug them when they’re here [at the resort].”

He gets a host of “amens” from the congregation. This morning they’ve forsaken the pool and taken over the outdoor pavilion where the disco ball hangs in wait for the night’s festivities.

Cherokee Lodge does have its own chapel, the Little Church in the Wildwood. It rests between a pet cemetery, which is marked by a smattering of silk flowers crammed into the packed dirt, and a whole mess of trees.

The rustic church is home to Cherokee’s own weekly service. The untreated, rough wood pews are usually spotted with resort regulars on Sundays—even when the CNC isn’t it town. But the church is small and sweltering. It doesn’t have electricity, so this morning’s convocation moved to take advantage of what’s left of the cool night breeze.

Other nudists stare as they walk by, making their way from the outdoor showers and heading toward the pool, carrying towels they’ll use to line lounge chairs and bar stools as they belly up to the snack shack for beer and a hamburger.

Meanwhile, Kevin’s leading a discussion titled, “Where are we going? And why are we in this hand basket?” Only one guy laughs at the joke, but they all get the gist. “Isn’t that what a lot of Christians think about nudists? That we’ve got a fast track to a warm place in hell?”

They’re thinking a lot more than that. Many consider nudist resorts the anti-church and, of course, orgy central: hotbeds of lust where loose women, exhibitionists, hedonists, perverts, child predators and the like assemble to roll around in a big stinky pile of sin and vulgarity. And they can’t see how good Christians could fit in—or why they’d even want to try.

The CNC crowd has gathered this morning to take notes and talk scripture, to prep fortified biblical explanations for naysayers who think that God would never sanction social nudity. They do, in fact, believe God led them here—to their own Garden of Eden.

For the most part, the morning’s conversation is typical church talk: they were created in God’s image, and what he made was very good. Jesus died for their sins, and so on.

Then they get into this summer’s Christian nudist theme, the stuff that they’ve been reading in the stream-of-consciousness posts that CNC organizer Boyd Allen has plastered on his website. “But of course we cannot possibly continue in this life perfectly without sin,” one post reads.

“Then what do we do? We grab the nearest bush and hide from God, right? No, no, no.... That was what Adam and Eve did, remember? We don’t want to do that again!”

Allen continues, “We run to God as we are and ask him to forgive us and not just cover our sins but to wash them away and we will be clean spiritually. Jesus [the] Christ washed away our sins.... We have been restored to our original state to where we can come to God in the garden, walk and talk with him ‘just as I am.’ Then why do we still insist that our bodies are shameful?”
But wasn’t it God who clothed Adam and Eve? If the eye rolling and the groans are any indication, the CNC’s Saturday morning congregation has heard plenty of that before.

As Allen puts it, all God says to a fig-leaf-laden Adam and Eve in Genesis is: who told you that you were naked, and have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat? “Whoa here,” Allen writes. “That sounds more like he was displeased with their discovery. Now we all know that God did indeed clothe them, but was that to cover their naked bodies in shame, or was it to protect them in their new environment?”

The CNCers adhere to the latter. Nudity is righteous, but at certain temperatures, cavorting without your pants on becomes a little silly. Today, as the session drones on in the sticky heat, even Kevin leads worship totally nude, baring an upper body shaved to appear near

prepubescent.

It’s apparent that if the CNCers lack anything, it’s body shame. They adjust themselves in plastic patio chairs that leave horizontal marks between their shoulder blades. Some are squished so tightly into the dirty seats that their flesh presses into the armrests and spills over the sides.

Kevin’s gone through the Bible and marked every reference to nakedness, give or take a few. He talks about how God spoke to Isaiah and told him to walk barefoot and unclothed. How Peter fished naked near the shores of Galilee. And how Jesus was nude when he washed the feet of his disciples. “But there’s nothing in there that says nudity is inherently wrong,” he says. For much of the weekend, their dialogue centers on such nude biblical references.

One woman sits facing the congregation. She’s clothed only in a pair of thin cotton shorts with an elastic waistband hiked up almost to meet her large, heavy breasts. She takes hold of one breast, lifts it off her stomach and covers the flesh underneath with a thick swipe of deodorant. She moves slowly and deliberately. No one seems to notice.

If anything, the group would be hard-pressed to understand why an outsider might find it offensive. Why wouldn’t you want to sit at the dinner table with your plate of Cherokee’s famous barbecue and come face-to-face with a passerby’s penis as you gnaw on a drumstick? Why would you elect to keep on your top in 90-degree heat? Within the first half-hour of meeting the CNCers, three men asked why I was the only one wearing clothes and whether I had any intention of taking them off. Later another offered to pay my Cherokee day fees ($25 plus tax) if I’d visit some other day—and fully participate.

Guitars for God Lonnie Kimble, a CNC newbie, provided all of the music for the weekend’s worship.

With his freckled face and eyebrows so blond they’re near invisible, Boyd Allen looks a little like an overgrown Opie. It’s fitting for a country boy who grew up on a 40-acre farm in Florida.
When Boyd was 13, he gave into a simple, compelling urge that burned inside him: he needed to be naked. He would undress and sneak off into the woods to run and explore. It wasn’t what a good Christian boy living in a strict household was supposed to do. So he didn’t tell anyone.
Nearly a quarter of a century later, he picked up a book about family naturism in a bookstore. “It was what I was thinking, what I was feeling, and I thought, ‘This is beautiful,’ ” he says. He marched over to the magazine section and flipped through an issue of Nude & Natural. He came back a month later for the new issue, where he found some biblical talk about nudism. “I bought the magazine and started looking up the scriptures. I started writing my thoughts down because it was beginning to flood my head. I just kept writing on and on.”

It’s that zeal that helped him become the CNC’s new leader. He was elected to take the helm when the convocation last convened a couple of years ago at White Tail Resort in Virginia. CNC creator and nudist humor author Allen Parker asked Boyd and Kevin to be the CNC torchbearers after the convocation fell short of his expectations.

Parker started the CNC in 2003 to unite a handful of Christian nudist resort chapels with the hope that they’d confederate and start churches in nudist resorts across the country. Instead, he says the CNC morphed into what it is today—more of a social outing, a place for meeting, greeting and fellowship time.

For Boyd, it’s a godsend. He used to show up 15 minutes early to his telecommunications job so that he could pray over his co-workers’ cubicles—imploring God to give them a good day. Now he’s found his calling.

Today, Allen’s 4-year-old daughter darts from tent to tent at the CNC campsite, just as happy as she can be. Allen’s wife, Gwin, grills hamburgers and hot dogs for the group cookout. Her breasts hang dangerously close to the sizzling meat as smoke encircles her body. This is the family life of Boyd’s dreams—a wife who disrobed before he did at their first visit to a nudist resort outside of Greensboro, N.C., and a daughter who can run free and nude, without the shame and secrecy that marred his childhood jaunts.

But the family’s nudist life hasn’t been all that easy. Boyd doesn’t talk much about their struggle to stay nude and happy. But Gwin does.

She sits at the picnic table, her cookout duties complete, and talks about how Boyd would move the family to Cherokee tomorrow if he could. It would certainly make nudity easier, but Gwin isn’t prepared to isolate her family from friends and relatives who’d never step foot in such a place.

It’s not that they live in secret. Most of their neighbors know. With Allen walking outside without as much as a bathrobe to grab the morning paper, it would be difficult for them not to.
It wasn’t until a stranger caught sight of Allen mowing the backyard in the buff that a cop came knocking. Gwin felt a familiar fear: they’re going to take away my daughter. “All you need for something like that to become a problem is one zealous social worker with not a clue as to what this is all about—and no desire to find out. That’s all it takes. I know what we’re doing isn’t wrong. I know what we’re doing is a good thing,” she says, as her daughter scampers up and asks for a “drinky.”

The officer let them off, but it didn’t put Gwin’s mind at ease. Her daughter will start pre-K in the fall, and it’s hard to teach a 4-year-old to keep quiet about the nudist lifestyle, especially when it’s all she’s ever known.

“It’s annoying that I have to teach [my daughter] very strongly that we do this—it’s OK—but understand that there are places and people who don’t get that,” Gwin says. “And in her little mind it’s, ‘But why, mommy?’ And what do you say? Because that’s the way people are.”

It’s difficult to convince people that subjecting a child to so much nudity doesn’t make you a pervert. Just ask Cameron Bennett. This is his first CNC, and he’s brought his wife and two kids along for the ride. After all the hell they’ve been through with their home church, they’re considering joining the Little Church in the Wildwood.

They attended the Church of Antioch until Cameron got candid about their lifestyle. He told his Bible study group that he attended worship service at a nudist park, and things quickly began to change. He tried to volunteer in the church’s nursery but was turned away. “I was urged during the business meetings, ‘Don’t volunteer anymore. The ladies are nervous—they don’t want you in there,’ ” he says. “They were afraid that I was going to molest a child. Let’s face it, when I would check my daughter’s diaper, I would touch the diaper to make sure it wasn’t wet. Well, touch in an area down there, some people think you might be molesting, too.”

He withdrew his membership from the church and asked God to lead the way. He found the CNC. “Maybe this is where I return to the Lord...,” he says.

Soul Man Boyd Allen, the group’s fearless leader, takes to the pulpit at the Little Church in the Wildwood.

Cameron and others believe children are natural nudists. They think that kids, much like Adam and Eve, should be free to run nude through the garden, to live their lives without knowing shame—that it would take Satan, or a prudish parent, to plant the idea of shame into their hearts and minds.

A pack of CNC kids run around the resort, fighting over Thomas the Tank Engine and playing with flashlights. Except for the occasional pair of pull-up training pants, they’re nude. They scribble with pink sidewalk chalk that smears across their rears and bellies. No one cares if the kids get dirty. They’ll get hosed off later.

And they appear to be very, very happy. They don’t seem to notice anyone’s nakedness—especially their own—and don’t as much as stare at the fattest of the CNC crew or leer at all that sagging.

CNC parents think these kids will be better-adjusted adults for it. They subscribe to the mantra that nudism demystifies the body, satiates curiosity about the opposite sex, curbs premarital sex and combats poor body image in children.

Many of the CNC women wish they’d had such a childhood. They huddle together in a corner of the pavilion for a women’s-only session and gab about everything from their own bouts with bad body image to uncomfortable bras and The Tyra Banks Show. It’s a buffet of breasts, seven pairs to be exact, ranging from A to DD.

Most were lured into the nudist lifestyle by their husbands. Myra Moore, who is married to Kevin, says her husband’s desire to explore the nudist community floored her. “I said, ‘There’s something wrong with this. I can’t accept it.’ Being a Christian, I said show me in the scripture...wrong, right, indifferent, where is it?” And Kevin showed her.

It took six months to get Myra to a resort, but Kevin didn’t push. He knew it was delicate. Myra was molested at age 6 and had lingering issues with her body. “He was caring enough and he was Christian enough to think about me and what I’d been through,” she says. “He waited until I was ready and he showed me how to trust him, trust in God and go to a resort.”

Another woman chimes in. She was molested from age 3 to 11 and dreaded being nude around her husband. When she agreed to dabble in social nudity on her delayed honeymoon, she was terrified. “When I got there, I saw that the people weren’t looking at me as a piece of meat; they treated me just like if I was wearing clothes—in fact, better than that. They just accepted you for you. It’s really actually helped me in many, many ways.... I can be around my house nude, around my husband nude and it doesn’t bother me. It’s done a lot of healing.”

All of the CNC women nod. The nudity-as-a-healer theme is a common one.

It’s a good time for Gwin to bring up her master plan. She hopes to bus anorexics and bulimics to nudist resorts, where she’ll minister to them with the help of her fellow CNC women, eating disorder experts and, of course, God. “As naturists, we’re in a position to say, ‘Here’s our body. We’re not ashamed. We’re the normal size—and it’s OK.’ ”

The CNC women agree that the nudist resort is one of the few places where they aren’t judged by the size of their breasts or the style of their clothes. But that doesn’t explain why, even here, some of them have traces of eyeliner on their lids, artfully feathered hair and nether regions waxed—in some cases, full-Brazilian style, which is to say, bare—to high heaven. For the most part, however, they’re a fairly plain group whose beauty regimens consist of little more than a smear of sunscreen.

They consider themselves to be a modest bunch. It’s the other women, the clothed ones with cascading cleavage and push-up bras—the ones with the lustful “look at me” intentions—who are immodest, they say.

They know that many a Christian would find the nudist idea of modesty laughable. And all of those claims about nudity for the sake of body acceptance? They know some would say they’re twisting the scripture to justify their desire to let their goodies out for all to see.

But at Cherokee, no one seems to be looking. The CNCers give good eye contact because it’s considered poor form to look down. Besides, they say they wouldn’t want to, at least not for the purpose of lusting after your wares.

When Kevin asks the congregation where lustful thoughts come from, several of the women say Satan. “The Book of James says it comes from within our own heart. You’re making it someone else’s problem if you’re saying you can’t be naked because it’s going to generate lustful thoughts in me. You’re putting your own weaknesses on them.”

They believe that not all nudity is created equal. It’s a notion that’s difficult for most in our sex-soaked society to comprehend, they say. If the only time we’re exposed to nudity is in a sexual context, then we’ll think that bare bodies at a nudist resort must be sexual.

The CNCers don’t see clothes as lust deterrents. Even Gwin confessed to the women’s group that she has “always found that clothing, if it drapes on a man just right, is more provocative than 100 naked men.” See, they think of their lifestyle as “chaste nakedness.” And even a dance floor full of gyrating nudies can’t make them lust. They’ve got Jesus in their hearts.

No matter how much scripture the CNCers have in their hearts, they know there’s no way to ensure that all that bare chastity won’t turn somebody else on. They call it “lust of the eyes.” But it’s not the kind of transgression the CNCers can sense, or really bust you for. If it were, the mere presence of Lonnie Kimble would’ve had my ass packing before the first devotions.
When Kimble, a CNC newbie, straps on his acoustic guitar (and nothing else), it’s an image ripe for the cover of a romance novel. He plays “Jesus Loves Me” at the morning sermon, probably without an ounce of lust in his heart. He’s got the toned, beach body of a surfer, with tousled, sun-bleached waves that tease his broad shoulders. He looks like Jesus with a tan and access to modern grooming.

He’s the one in the group who is difficult not to look at, though admitting as much to any CNCer would have landed me in the much-feared group of the spiritually weak who, even when faced with such chaste nakedness, have a hot case of lust.

Not a Baptismal Dip Rick, the convocation’s resident single, and fellow nude worshiper John Anderson thank God that this Eden’s got a pool.

As sinner’s luck would have it, Cherokee Lodge is not a bastion of fitness. The hottest thing you’ll see is a pair of pierced nipples. But more often than not, they adorn breasts that have long since moved southward. There aren’t any lithe co-eds bouncing playfully on the beach volleyball court. In fact, the whole experience is more like an unfortunate lesson in the anatomy of the aging. Cameron puts it this way: “I’ve seen some of these ladies. They look great with a shirt on. Take that shirt off—eew. I didn’t know they sagged that far down.”

The place is virtually sexless. And the folks at Cherokee Lodge want it that way. The rule sheets disbursed at check-in offer these warnings: no dirty dancing, lap dancing, lingerie or overt sexual behavior. There’s even a surveillance camera in the hot tub.

This is no swingers club either. If it were, Rick, CNC’s resident disco-dancing bachelor, wouldn’t have it. He does admit that, during a prior Cherokee visit, one woman started talking dirty in the hot tub. He reported her to management and she was banned from the resort. “There are singles clubs. But if you want something like that, go to Nashville or Knoxville, OK?” he says. “But it’s not here at Cherokee.... That’s not what nudists are here for.”

Even without the hot sex (and with all that self-policing), the Jacuzzi is still nudist Mecca. To an outsider, the thought of steeping in a tub where swimsuits are strictly disallowed with a whole slew of sweaty strangers is unappetizing. But to the CNCers, it’s just another tool in their master plan to proselytize the nudies.

“To most Christians, this resort would be the end of the world.... To me, it’s Jerusalem. It’s our own backyard,” Kevin says. He calls nudists modern-day lepers who “most Christians don’t want to touch with a 10-foot pole.”

Enter the hot tub. The Bible describes God’s voice as quiet, Kevin tells the congregation. When nudists aren’t at the resort, they’re at home with the kids, the TV and all that noise. “You can’t hear God as easily. Here, you can hear a little more.” And in the Jacuzzi, they’re relaxed and easier to approach.

When Kevin burns through his long list of biblical references to nudity, some of the CNCers take notes. Sure, they’re here to get closer to God. But, at the heart of it, they know they have lots of explaining to do. “We have a calling to teach the average Christian that naked does not equal bad,” he says. But they all know that’s a tough row to hoe. For now, they’d rather gather an arsenal of explanations they can use to tell nudists why God sanctions social nudity.

That night, as the droves of nudists danced the night away, the new CNCers got a trial run. God put that atheist in the hot tub, and the crew channeled Kevin—and all that scripture—and gave it their best. There’s no telling if it worked. Come Sunday morning, the CNCers can’t even remember the man’s name.

The nude bodies filter into the chapel. They arrange their towels on the pews and settle in for service. It’s a big day for Pete, the only CNC worship leader who’s got his own clothed congregation at home.

He asked that we not use his name (in fact, he wouldn’t give it) or any indication of his age or where he lives. He even asked that we refrain from describing his body in great detail. “If they found out, I would lose my church, my kids, my family, my life,” he explains, his 20-something wife slinking behind him in the pews, cradling her stretch-mark-laden stomach in her arms.
You can’t help but wonder if “they” means his congregation, who undoubtedly would be outraged and awed to learn that their pastor’s been preaching the good word to a small congregation tucked away in the Tennessee backwoods—with his penis peaking out of a silk navy robe.

This is the first time I’ve seen Pete clothed. He slipped on the robe while walking the rocky path that leads hikers past a cluster of travel-trailers to the Little Church in the Wildwood. But he couldn’t have chosen a worse time to suit up. It’s still far from noon, but when the heat from 20-plus bodies meets the damp morning air inside the chapel, it’s steamy, and the group starts to smell a bit sour.

Kimble has just slipped his guitar strap off his shoulder after leading the fellowship in singing “Amazing Grace” and “Awesome God.” The baritone voices rocked the rough pews into vibration, and everyone’s in the mood for some more soul shaking.

Pete delivers. He starts his sermon so hard and loud, it’s frightening. Soon he’s howling, “You don’t have to be afraid of God anymore!” And you’re afraid. He rants in dramatized near-delirium about “Jeee-zus!” and his “guh-lory.” Before long, you’re begging him to breathe, and he does sporadically, with the deep grasping breaths of a swimmer emerging from the water.
When he moves on to the “Book of Isaiah,” he’s pacing and gushing Bible verse so fast that he’s hard to follow. The sweat has started to trickle from his short sideburns as his silken robe sticks to his pale skin and begins to work itself open. He tells of how the prophet Isaiah fell to the ground when he had a vision of God and cowered in fear, his sins exposed. But the angels purified him and God said, “You will go and speak for me.”

“And Isaiah gives one of the best answers you can ever give God,” Pete says. “Isaiah says, ‘Here am I. I’ll go.’ ”

It rings true for Pete. When God drew him to the nudist ministry, the former heathen head banger was ready. “I really feel that God laid this on my heart, that this is a ministry that he wanted me to do,” he says. “You know, of all the missionary-type endeavors to do—some people get sent to Africa, some people get sent to South America—and the Lord was like, ‘I want you to go to nudist resorts.’ And I’m like, ‘Wow, what an assignment.’ Aren’t I the lucky one, you know?”

Ever since that faithful calling, Pete has prayed over it—hard. He’s asked God to stop him from disrobing, from traveling to Cherokee, if it wasn’t his way. But God’s only reassured him, even as Pete dog-paddled in the lodge swimming pool Saturday night.

As the cool water slipped over his bare body, Pete asked God what he should tell a church full of nudists. And you’ve got to wonder why God didn’t answer with something more original. “God especially wanted me to tell you this morning to remember that you were created in his image,” Pete tells the churchgoers as he gets into the same we’re-not-ashamed-of-what-God-created spiel the group has been pushing all weekend.

They end the service in prayer, asking God to claim the nameless, hot tub atheist for the kingdom. To extend Cherokee’s borders and to increase the Little Church’s anointed. And then they pray for their nude brothers and sisters who will be continuing the Lord’s work the next weekend as the convocation moves on to Show Me Acres nudist resort, a little slice of heaven about two hours outside of Kansas City, Mo.

They eat some burgers and rush to break camp, to roll up their tents and corral the kids as the thunder begins to clap and dark clouds form overhead. Gwin tries to pawn off leftover baked beans and weenies on the travelers, but she ends up walking the dirt road to the resort’s main office, where she offers the food to the women inside. These are the same women who gossip about how the whole CNC lot scared off the camp’s heavy drinkers.

Some CNCers begin to dress outside of the open doors to their modest cars—one marked with the license plate “NKD B4GD”—as a few fat, stray raindrops find their way to the group’s naked skin. Many of the men dress in the same pair of clothes they arrived in. In fact, it’s all that most of the men packed. That and a towel.The women climb into the passenger seats, reluncantly clothed but without a bra if they can help it. And they’ll ride that way, all the way home—where they’ll quickly disrobe and once again feel free.
.

Naturists Get a Fair Shake in "Monk" Episode

2007-07-30T22:12:00.000-07:00

My wife and I watched one of our favorite shows, "Monk" in the buff Friday night and were surprised to see a naturist group given a fair if comic shake in the episode.

Alfred Molina and Diedrich Bader (you may remember him from the Drew Carey Show) guest star this week, as Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) tries to overcome his issues with the flesh while solving a murder on a nudist beach. The screen tradition of nudity made PG-rated by strategically placed props gets a workout: surfboards, beach balls, and venetian blinds are all employed to comic effect. (One woman seemed to carry an umbrella aimlessly just to cover her "naughty bits" as the British say.)

Monk isn't simply offended or disturbed by nakedness. Bare skin has an unprecedented power to unsettle the meticulous detective. He insists on accusing a nudist (played by Bader) of a murder he could not have committed. Challenged to make the accusation stick, Monk rattles off a series of preposterous scenarios, from the Apple Core Key Theory to the Double-Jointed Escape Through A Bathroom Window Theory. (In his world, nudists have strange, almost supernatural powers.)

Somebody did there homework. Bader plays the leader of a naturist group seeking to save a nude beach. He says he prefers to be called a naturist, and a naturist society sign decorates the inside of his trailer.

Ordered to sort out his personal issue, Monk sees his devoted therapist. In a watershed counseling session, he reveals that his fear springs from a surreal memory of his own birth. Overcoming the emotional scars of that recollection, and putting it in perspective as a positive event, Monk regains his relative composure in time to solve the crime and offer an olive branch to the man he formerly targeted:

"I'm sorry for hating you and accusing you of murder, and I've learned a lot and I'm a better person."

Naturists were depicted as a little on the crunchy granola side, but all and all not weird or warped. Bravo to the writers of Monk!

Happy and Bare in Idaho

2007-07-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

This posted despite the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Musings are Republicans. Read on...

NW nudists leave their clothing at the gate

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WORLEY, Idaho -- For 200 vacationers driving into a northern Idaho resort this week, Independence Day had a whole different meaning.

The Sun Meadow nudist resort in this region of wheatfields, tall pines and rolling hills offers gated amenities for those who prefer going without.

The nudists are at this 75-acre resort for the 61st annual convention of the American Association of Nude Recreation's Northwest regional chapter.

"I undressed before I hit the front office and I haven't had a stitch of clothing on since," said Shirley Gauthier, a recent arrival. "I don't like the confines of zippers, elastic and snaps."
This is Sun Meadow's fourth year of operation. Members pay $300 per year and folks under 35 get a 20 percent "non-senior" discount. The resort welcomes families, doesn't serve alcohol and is classified as "clothes-free," meaning guests are expected to take it all off - as opposed to "clothing-optional" resorts that allow members to disrobe when they desire.

While other nudist camps around the world boast more exotic locales - there's Desire Resort in Cancun, Mexico, Grand Lido and Hedonism in Jamaica and Eden Bay on the white sand beaches of the Dominican Republic - Worley helps compensate for its more rural setting by offering music, volleyball, bocce, yoga and even tamale-making - nude activities that require a little courage and an ample dose of strategically applied sunscreen.

"You leave your stress with your clothes at the gate," said Alice Anderson, who lives at a nudist camp in Mount Vernon, Wash., and says she was initially nervous during her first visit to a nude club she was introduced to by a male friend. "I realized nobody was paying any attention to me."
There are several landowning nudist clubs in Washington, including Kaniksu Ranch in Loon Lake north of Spokane. Washington also has several "travel clubs" whose members venture to spots such as Sun Meadow. Idaho also has Bare Backers Nudist Club near Boise.

This is the second time Sun Meadow has hosted the convention for the regional group, which has 2,500 members in Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Montana. The national group has 45,000 members, and the numbers of the willingly unclothed appear to be growing: There are 268 nudists clubs across the nation, up from 212 in 1998.

Resort members wander about the lodge's central meeting room, kept at a constant 78 degrees. A couple is seen strolling along a hiking path, walking sticks in hand. A giggling toddler runs through the clubhouse, and children's water toys litter the outdoor pool area.
Some liken the atmosphere to a family reunion.

"Your body needs air and sunshine. To me it's just like exercise. It's a necessity like brushing your teeth," said Terri Capshaw, whose family built a home on property next to Sun Meadow and who has raised two children in the nudist community. "I'm more comfortable telling people

I'm a nudist than saying I'm a Democrat."

Nakedness and Godliness

2007-07-01T17:07:00.000-07:00

For blind author, "Nudity & Christianity" marries two passions

By John Curran, Associated Press Writer July 1, 2007

WESTFIELD, Vt. --Nakedness is next to Godliness -- in Jim Cunningham's view.

After 20 years preaching the gospel of nudity, the author of skinny-dipping guidebooks, coloring books and take-it-all-off "naturist" magazines is using an old ally in his bid to spread the naked truth -- the Bible.

"Nudity & Christianity," his 596-page compendium of scripture citations and selectively-chosen observations by the likes of Pope John Paul II, C.S. Lewis and Kahlil Gibran, promotes a world view sacrilegious to some but perfectly natural to Cunningham.

Contrary to popular opinion, nude is not lewd, he insists.

"There's lot of references in the Bible to being naked. In the early church, all Christians were baptized naked -- men, women and children. It wasn't an issue.

"My point is that the church, instead of changing the world, has let the world change it. It's accepted (Hustler publisher) Larry Flynt's definition of the body, instead of the Bible's. If the body is just lust bait, then modesty is making sure it's always covered.

"But if the body is what the Bible says it is -- the temple of the Holy Spirit and the image of God -- then modesty doesn't mean always covering up, it just means comporting yourself in a way that does not cause lust in others," he said.

If you think Cunningham's interest purely prurient, think again.

The 53-year-old father of five, a conservative Catholic and former parochial school teacher, is blind.

He can't see the color pictures of naked sunbathers, au natural toddlers and plump, hairy Dads contained in his "Vermont Unveiled" guidebooks and "Our Wonderful Bodies!" any more than he can see the small hillside cottage in rural northern Vermont where he lives with his wife of 27 years.

A longtime diabetic, he has lost his sight, his kidneys and half his right leg to its ravages. But he hasn't lost faith -- in God or nudity.

For a recent interview, he walked down the stairs of his home and welcomed a visitor wearing a Catholic scapula hung around his neck, hiking boots on his feet -- and nothing in between.
He's not self-conscious, and doesn't think anyone else should be.

"People don't see nakedness anywhere except pornography. Everything that's naked on TV is some kind of sex theme. That creates a culture where nude is lewd, in people's minds. And it's getting worse instead of better."

"Nudity & Christianity," his new self-published book, is the first publication he's put out that has no pictures in it.

If there's a message in that, it's that he's trying to get his across without the semantic noise -- and inevitable distraction -- of naked bodies.

"I decided to put together, in one book, an anthology of writings from present day to all the way to scripture itself," he said.

In it, he quotes theologians, saints, news accounts and himself on various topics that touch on nudity. Among them:

-- "What spirit is so empty and blind, that it cannot grasp the fact that the human foot is more noble than the shoe, and human skin more beautiful than the garment with which it is clothed?" -- Michelangelo.

-- "A Christian mother's first duty is to soil her child's mind, and she does not neglect it." -- Mark Twain, from "Letters From the Earth."

-- "The contemplation of this makes it possible to concentrate, in a way, on the whole truth of man, on the dignity and beauty, also the supra-sensual beauty of his masculinity and femininity." -- Pope John Paul II on nudity in art, from his May 6, 1981 general audience.

"No matter what your religious persuasion is, all naturists believe the body is inherently decent," Cunningham said. "I see the body as not only decent but in the image of God and the very temple of the Holy Spirit.

"Paradoxically, it's the Christians that oppose naturism the most -- next to the Muslims. and it's really their Bible that says so many wonderful things about the body," he said.

The Awkwardness of Youth...and Strawberries

2007-07-01T06:17:00.000-07:00

AYESA MITCHELL AND FRIENDS SOAK UP SUN AT BARE OAKS IN ONTARIO

Young naturists bare their, er, souls

In the real world, there is a lot of politics. It's all about what you wear, how you dress and how you look. But in the park, no one cares about that at all Ayesha Mitchell , 18-year-old naturist.

There is a strawberry social at the club on the weekend, but the last thing 18-year-old Ayesha Mitchell is worried about is what to wear.

That's because the dress code in effect for the party is absolutely nothing.

"We're just going to sit around and eat strawberries and have a great time," Mitchell says.

"And, yes, we will all be pretty much naked."

Going to parties in the nude is nothing new for this young naturist.

She lives and spends much of her time on Bare Oaks, a family oriented nudist park in Sharon, Ont., north of Newmarket, where, in addition to partying, people are encouraged to let everything hang out as they camp, play sports and socialize.

Mitchell, who moved to the 20-hectare park with her family three years ago, says being comfortable with yourself and everyone around you is exactly what she enjoys about the naturist philosophy.

"Everyone loves the fact that you can just be yourself and be comfortable in your skin," she says about the park which boasts high-tech wireless cabins, pristine lakes and saltwater pools (which are known to be softer on bare skin).

"It's so different than high school, college and the regular world that people my age usually live in," says Mitchell, who attends George Brown College.

"In the real world, there is a lot of politics. It's all about what you wear, how you dress and how you look.

"But in the park, no one cares about that at all."

Recent media reports about the sale of a number of aging naturist camps across the country have spurred rumours that the nudist heyday is history and that younger Canadians are just not into baring it all in clubs where the vast majority of patrons are the same age as their parents.

But a number of teens who choose to spend their days and nights in the buff say that while the interest from their end is still there, naturist clubs need to do more to cater to a younger demographic.

"The owners of many of these clubs are in need of a revival," says Stéphane Deschenes, 41, president of the Federation of Canadian Naturists.

"They got very big or very full in the '70s and generally stopped growing or evolving," says Deschenes, who recently bought Bare Oaks and is working to make it more youth-oriented.
It's a problem that hasn't gone unnoticed by Christine, 16, who officially joined the naturist lifestyle three years ago, after having grown up in a home where nudity was the norm.

"There is a definite lack of options for teenagers at the clubs," says Christine, who lives near Edmonton but often attends clubs in Ontario during the summer.

"So, if there's nothing for us to do, why would we come?"

She suggests the awkwardness of being a teenager is another reason why there are few young naturists.

"It's hard for many teens, because you're sensitive and you are getting used to your body as you change into an adult."

Christine says, in many naturists groups, kids usually drop out when they hit about 10 or 11 but then reappear when they are in their 20s.

"I get frustrated when I hear people say teens have no interest, because my feeling is that we are changing and exploring.... It may just be that, at the moment, we are going through a phase where that's not something we're comfortable doing," she said.

Another problem, these young naturists say, is that societal stigmas surrounding nudist camps still exist.

"People who have never been to any nudist parks feel like it's one big sex party, but it's not like that at all," Mitchell says.

"People associate nudity with sex, but that's not the case. It's a chosen lifestyle of relaxation and it works for most people."

But, she says, the negative stereotypes usually change when people actually open their minds and doff their clothes to give naturism a try.

"If they have a chance to experience it, most of them like it," Mitchell says.

"A lot of young people are not coming because they are worried what their parents will think, how they are going to appear to their friends, and they don't want anybody to judge them on it."
Christine says naturism is on solid ground.

"I can't see some of the kids that I have met all of a sudden converting back to a `textile' sort of life," she says. "So I am not worried about naturism dying out. I don't see how it could happen, because, for so many people it's just a way of life."

What About Naked Golf?

2007-06-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

Nudist resorts more popular than golf

Jun. 28, 2007 12:00 AM

Here's a news flash (pun intended): Nude recreation is more popular than golf.A new survey by Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell/Yankelovich Partners indicates that 12 percent of adults consider a resort that offers a nude recreation experience extremely desirable. Only 10 percent said the same about golf, and 6 percent said they prefer tennis.We don't think they asked about nude golf or tennis.

The Nice Nudists of Mazo

2007-06-29T10:38:00.000-07:00

Beachgoers in the buff better behave
By Judy Keen, USA TODAY
June 28, 2007

MAZOMANIE, Wis. — It's a warm weekday afternoon at Mazo Beach. The sky is cloudless, the Wisconsin River sparkles and every sunbather on the white sand is nude.

For about 50 years, this secluded beach in a state wildlife area has attracted people who prefer to catch the sun's rays on every part of their bodies. The tradition has withstood protests by a local church, unsuccessful attempts to change state laws that don't prohibit public nudity and objections from some of Mazomanie's (pronounced may-zoh-MAY- nee) 1,485 residents.

This summer, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is increasing patrols and taking other steps to curtail sex and illegal drug use at the beach. Two stands of willow trees at the edges of the beach were cut down to stop people from using them to shield illicit activities. Nearby woods have been made off limits. The fine for entering the closed area is $160.80.

Since Memorial Day, 10 people have been charged with public sex and three were charged with drug possession, says Jeremy Plautz, a DNR warden supervisor who patrols the beach several times a week. A ranger also visits regularly.

'This place polices itself'

Plautz says some of the problems are caused by websites that call Mazo Beach a destination for open-air sex. Daniel Ruland, 27, who grew up in Mazomanie, agrees. "The nude beach used to be for normal people," he says. "It was very much accepted. Then along came the Internet, and with the Internet, along came the perverts and sexual predators."

Ruland, a former Marine who recently returned home after two tours in Iraq, says, "It's better just to pretend it's not even there."

Mazo Beach regulars disagree. "I think a lot of this is blown out of proportion," says Steve Schmitt, who lives in the Green Bay area and has been coming to the beach for 15 years. "This place polices itself."

Michael McGreevy, 66, a retired real estate broker who first visited the beach 18 years ago and often spends afternoons here with friends, says they alert rangers when they see banned behavior.

"We seldom saw it," he says. "The mainstream people are not affected" by tougher enforcement.

He and his beach friends, McGreevy says, do charitable work and are like "a family, a fraternity." Those who believe there's something ominous going on, he says, should "try it and get a life."

There are dozens of well-known nude beaches such as Mazo Beach and hundreds of smaller, unmanaged ones across the country, says Bob Morton, executive director of the Naturist Action Committee, the political arm of the 27,000-member Naturist Society. The organization has a lobbyist in Wisconsin and fights bills in other states that would make public nudity a crime.

"It's an American tradition to go down to the river or the lake and go skinny-dipping," Morton says, "but there are always fights going on."

In Santa Barbara County, Calif., he says, naturists are trying to overturn a nudity ban at Bates Beach. In Austin, some patrons of Hippie Hollow want to end a ban on anyone under 18 at the decades-old nude beach. "We really don't have a lot of problems," says Hippie Hollow manager Dan Perry, but there are occasional complaints about public sex.

For some Mazo Beach patrons, being nude is about more than getting an all-over tan. Christopher Cronin, who grew up in the area and works as a nude art model in San Francisco, says the human body is "a sacred, beautiful work of art. … Being ashamed of one's body is a form of self-hatred."

Rick Mellentine, 43, a factory worker, plays nude volleyball on the beach on weekends and likes to read and practice juggling here. His nudity isn't a political statement, he says. "I don't have to wear anything, so I don't," he says.

Nudity restrictions fail

Cars from Illinois, Minnesota and Iowa are alongside Wisconsin vehicles in Mazo Beach's parking lot one recent afternoon. It's a 1-mile walk from the lot to the beach. A road that allowed visitors to drive all the way to the beach was closed in 2000 to end cruising for sexual activity, Plautz says.

In 1999, the Wisconsin Legislature considered closing Mazo Beach from April to September. The measure did not pass. The same year, an attempt to ban public nudity at all DNR recreation areas also failed. In 2003, legislation that would have created fines for anyone nude on public land also failed. Under state law, anyone who "publicly and indecently exposes" themselves is guilty of a misdemeanor, but the statute doesn't define "publicly" or "indecently."

Ralph Ovadal, pastor of Pilgrims Covenant Church in nearby Monroe, organized a blockade of the road, protests at the Mazo Beach parking lot and a petition drive beginning in 1998. He and his parishioners haven't been at the beach for a couple of years, he says, and probably won't protest here this summer.

"We gave it all we had," Ovadal says, "but we're going to step back for a while. … The local people are just beside themselves."

Not Richard Rahn, 75, who runs an antique coin and jewelry shop in Mazomanie. "They don't bother me any," he says. "As long as they don't run around naked on my front lawn, I couldn't care less."

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-06-28-nude-beach_N.htm?csp=34

Just Because

2007-06-21T22:30:00.000-07:00

Been away for a while. Just signing in with this naturist musing: "Just because you can see my penis, it doesn't mean I expect you to do anything about it." A tenet of naturism is that social nudity can and should be non-sexual. Let's keep that that way!

Flickr

2007-06-15T20:50:00.001-07:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Benjamin Roston, 1919-2007, Inventer of the Landmine Detector, Naturist

2007-04-20T21:47:00.000-07:00

Tributes for inventor of the landmine detector
editorial@hamhigh.co.uk

20 April 2007

A PERSON'S last words can rarely sum up their lives as well as Highgate resident and inventor of the first practical mine detector, Benjamin Roston. "I'm happy to die", he told doctors last week, "as long as there is no chance of survival".

Mr Roston was born in 1919 and grew up in Warsaw where his family would go into hiding every Christmas to avoid the sporadic attacks on Jews. A desire to escape his surroundings led to a fierce pursuit of knowledge, education, peace and freedom, which would continue throughout his life.

Aged 17 Mr Roston moved to London to study at university. The Second World War broke out a few years later and he never returned to Warsaw. His interests in maths and engineering led him to work for the Coal Board where he discovered the first practical method of detecting landmines. He sold the patent in 1948 for £1 and the right to be naturalised in Britain.

His daughter Suzy Roston said: "He always told us he had worked to save people's lives." The injustices Mr Roston faced forged a strong sense of activism which led him to join the Progressive League, Fabian Society and Labour Party. He attended meetings and wrote letters of protest until the end of his life.His battles for freedom also stemmed from a genuine appreciation of it. He loved the outdoors and was a keen naturist. Suzy Roston said: "Every bit of sun that came he'd rush up the M1, and loved lying on the beach and swimming in the nude. He even managed to convert a few people to it with his charm."

Mr Roston, who lived on Southwood Lawn Road, died of heart failure aged 87 at the Royal Brompton Hospital, Kensington, last Friday. He leaves behind his partner of 20 years, Tilly Haar and three daughters, Miriam, Carmel and Suzy Roston.

Nutmeg State Students Urged to Undress to De-Stress

2007-04-20T16:53:00.000-07:00

Students invited to shed stress, clothes
Emily Shields – The Daily Free Press
April 20, 2007

WOODSTOCK, CONNECTICUT -- As college students buckle down for a week of long exams and even longer papers, a nudist retreat in Connecticut is extending an invitation their way for a day when they can drop all their stress -- and clothes. As part of its plan to attract more youthful members, the Solair Recreation League in Woodstock, Conn., has invited students from more than 30 New England colleges to participate in the first of what it hopes will become an annual Inter-College Nudist Day on May 5. The retreat will include biking, volleyball, tennis, boating, hiking, swimming and fishing on the resort's 400 private acres. According to General Manager Donna Mae Olson, the League is hoping to attract students to help bring a youthful crowd and dispel the notion that nudism is reserved for older generations -- 12 percent of the organization' s 400 members are between 18 and 28 years old.And although the Connecticut resort is trying to attract a new crowd, nudist organizations have been growing significantly in the past 15 years, said American Association for Nude Recreation spokesman Steve Vickers. In its 76-year history, the AANR has acquired almost 50,000 members and opened resorts, clubs and campgrounds throughout the United States, with Forbes estimating in 2003 the nude recreation industry earns $400 million per year, Vickers said. "It's kind of exploded, and I'm still not sure why," he said. "There's been a steady flow of inquiries. Professors are asking us to come speak in classes." The Naturist Society, a nudist organization of about 20,000 members, will send two representatives to write about the event for its industry quarterly magazine, Nude and Natural."My advice to everybody is: 'Try it,'" said Naturist Society spokeswoman Nicky Hoffman. "It's not for everyone. Naturism is a personal choice. If it makes you feel better about yourself, and accept yourself for who you are, then that's great."Hoffman said nudists range from babies to elderly men and women and work as doctors, lawyers, engineers and students -- a far cry from the stereotypes of nudists as being old, backwoods hippies or perverts.

"A lot of people think that we get together and it's just a big, swinging sex party, but it's not the case," she said. "I have never, ever felt threatened or uncomfortable by anyone that I have encountered."Despite this the nudist lifestyle will always be criticized, said Tracy Horgan, who plans to attend the event as a Naturist Society representative. Hoffman said she and a friend were once harassed by a "religious zealot" while they were walking to a nude beach, although they were fully clothed at the time.Hoffman said the religious man turned to Hoffman's middle-aged female friend and shouted, "You're worse than a [prostitute] . You take your clothes off and don't get paid for it."Olson said the Solair retreat is inclusive and seeks members of all ages and even families, adding anyone with the slightest interest in nudism is encouraged to participate."We're a very close community," she said. "We want people to understand that social nudity is about body acceptance. It is not about any sort of sexual activity or perversion."We have specific ground rules," Olson continued. "If you are in violation of the rules, we will ask you to leave."Though she was not previously aware of the retreat, College of Arts and Sciences junior Maddy Brisotti said she might be interested in attending simply to see what nudism is all about. "I think it would be a life-changing experience, even just for a day," she said. "If you can be comfortable with [nudity], you can do anything."We can finally understand what people look like," Brisotti added. "You don't get exposed to what real people look like."CAS sophomore Veena Jeevanandan, however, said she has reservations about being nude around other people."I'd be creeped out," she said. "I wouldn't do it myself, but I wouldn't judge other people who did it, either."

Source: http://www.dailyfreepress.com/user/index.cfm?event=displayregistrationprompt&requiredregistration=1&thereferer=http%3A//media.www.dailyfreepress.com/media/storage/paper87/news/2007/04/20/News/Students.Invited.To.Shed.Stress.Clothes-2871447.shtml

Bare Here and There

2007-04-20T16:45:00.000-07:00

Why Are Americans Afraid of Being Naked?
By Dara Colwell, AlterNet. Posted April 19, 2007.
In the Netherlands people can be naked in their gardens, the beach and recently the gym. But in America, even chocolate sculptures can't be without clothes. What gives?

When Catholic protesters recently shut down a New York exhibit displaying a naked, life-sized Jesus sculpted from chocolate, the outcry wasn't totally unexpected. Labeled offensive by critics, the artwork touched an angry nerve by pushing religion and nudity -- two substances that historically don't mix -- into the limelight. While the media was quick to exploit the story, it also expressed surprising modesty when it came to the naked Christ, avoiding the full frontal and opting for photos of the Lord's backside.

But in Europe, and particularly the Netherlands, where bakeries display anatomically correct marzipan nudes in their front windows right next to chocolate bunnies and chicks, such furor

over confectionary draws a complete blank. On this side of the Atlantic, when it comes to nudity, Europeans happily assert they've got absolutely nothing to hide.

"The Netherlands is a liberal country where public nakedness is allowed, and that's the way it should be -- that's why there's a law for it," says Ragna Verwer of the Dutch Naturist Federation (NFN), a 70,000-member-strong organization established to expand naturist activities.

According to Verwer, 1.9 million Dutch regularly get nude, going to nude beaches or stripping down in their own gardens, though she estimates the numbers are much higher as NFN doesn't include sauna-goers in its research. "Naked recreation is well accepted here. But we have to take care that things stay this way, which is why we often discuss these matters with local city councils and recreation areas to create more places."

Legally, in Netherlands people are allowed to be naked anywhere except public roads or when they annoy others, a law in play since 1986. It is not uncommon to find nude swimming sessions at public swimming pools, nude or topless beaches. Recently, Fitworld, a gym in Heteren in the eastern Netherlands, introduced Naked Sunday, offering locals the opportunity for bare workouts. This quickly proved a popular idea -- at least with journalists, photographers and television crews, who easily outnumbered participants on the opening day.

"I've done interviews with people from Russia, Ireland, Canada, Australia, America and Turkey," says Fitworld's owner, Patrick de Man, who says Naked Sunday was in part a competitive response to other gyms offering pole dancing courses, but also a response to a request from two of his naturist clients. De Man says the amount of attention he received both from home and abroad was surprising because "being naked is absolutely normal here," though admittedly, bare bench presses were totally new to Holland. But the owner has also received complaints from locals, mostly about sanitation, and at least one member wrote on the club's website that he was switching gyms.

"A lot people from the church have sent me letters about God and stuff like that. But I tell them God was the first man of naturism. He and Adam and Eve were all naked on Earth," says de Man, taking the criticism rather pragmatically. True -- at least until the couple donned their first fig leaves, provoking centuries of subsequent debate.

"Nudity is definitely not shocking or even arousing," says Mandy Servais, a customer at Amsterdam's Sauna Deco, in a robe wrapped loosely around her body, which for all intents and purposes, was naked, as Dutch saunas are visited in the buff. Says Servais, who has frequented saunas since she was a teen, "I think as a society we're very simple and take a practical approach to sex and nudity. We think that everything that exists is normal so there's no need to make a fuss. We're not really occupied with what others think."

Verwer mirrors Servais' response. "I think the Dutch believe let everyone have their dignity and do what they enjoy most. This isn't just how we think about naked recreation, the same goes for gays --everyone's accepted," she says.

While the Dutch seem to accept that underneath their clothing everyone's naked, the same laissez-faire attitude doesn't apply in the States, where the public has been schooled in the cultural ideology that "nude is naughty," and nudity is regarded as sexual.

Perhaps much of this attitude can be chalked down to America's cultural forefathers, the Puritans, whose deeply religious moral zeal made them fear nudity so much they refused to bathe, ensuring a future of national prudishness.

This might appear a huge contradiction given the American media's rampant appetite for sex, but how else to explain the fury over Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" and the network's rush to cleanup before facing clampdowns and stiff fines? Or PBS's need to position the disclaimer "For mature audiences only" when broadcasting footage of Michelangelo's David.

A further inconsistency when it comes to nudity is what Americans regard as risqué: barely clad Victoria Secret models strutting their way across television or nude grandmothers? As Dove soap found out this March, it's the latter. The Federal Communications Commission, which regulates America's broadcast media, banned a series of prime-time ads depicting six middle-aged women posing nude for Dove Proage products, claiming it was inappropriate, though the ads ran successfully in Europe and Canada.

Ironically, Dove's parent company is the Anglo-Dutch giant Unilever. While a number of pro-family and women's groups complained the ad contributed to the further commercial sexualization of women -- an ongoing and valid debate -- clearly, older nudity is threatening because our culture rarely separates nakedness from sex, which is something the elder crowd, at least until Viagra, wasn't supposed to be having.

On a similar note, in 2004 Wal-Mart, never one to balk at profits, refused to sell Jon Stewart's book "America," which featured doctored nude photos of Supreme Court judges. Old, saggy bodies were simply too offensive compared to, say, the number of slasher films Wal-Mart also carries.

Of the Dove Proage ads, says Claire Taylor, who works in international advertising, including projects with Ogilvy & Mather, the company responsible for the Dove ad campaign, "If the ad featured 20-year olds, there'd be no problem. It's so hypocritical."

Taylor, an American who has lived in Amsterdam for the last 25 years, thinks the negative reaction stateside is due to "puritanical prudishness," which doesn't balk at violence or soft porn on television, yet is offended by older nudity. "Now seeing older bodies -- that's reality TV if you want reality," Taylor quips.

Another, perhaps sobering, reality: America has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in the industrialized world, according to the American Association of Pediatrics, and a rate that exceeds the Dutch by nine-fold. A healthy attitude to nudity as well as sex, something the Dutch are regaled for, might have a positive impact as more exposure typically leads to greater information.

Still, in America, being naked remains complex. Because our associations are often limited to porn, hippy naturalists, or the $400 million a year nude recreation industry, nudity is either seen as sexual or a gimmick. Take journalistic "undercover" exposes -- a choice phrase, given the situation -- on nudists at play ("Just look at those guys playing tennis!").

Or the media's buzz over photographer Spencer Tunick and his nude landscapes. Tunick, who specializes in photographing hundreds of naked bodies sprawled together in abstract forms against an urban backdrop, has definitely pushed social boundaries at home. But in Amsterdam, where Tunick is due this summer, it's a different story -- or no story. "Is it a big deal that's everyone's naked when everyone's naked?" asks Servais.

In Europe, then, clearly neither moral outrage nor public disorder greets nudity. Men don't go wild, women remain safe and the zero fashion statement remains just that, something with zero impact.

Taylor, who has fully adapted to Dutch ways, has taken her American sisters to the sauna when they visit and watched their transition from shock to comfort. "They're both overweight, so at first they were horrified. But one of my sisters quickly got used to being naked and it felt natural. When you see that other people are flabby and kind of falling apart, it's OK," she says, laughing. "Listen, you got to check out each other's parts, but seeing the Cesearean scars, fat rolls, cellulite, eczema and aging bodies of the over 50s crowd puts it all in perspective -- you realize how absolutely unique a gorgeous naked body is. Americans might associate nudity with eroticism but here, it's only associated with nakedness," she says.

But there is a glimmer of hope. Sometimes nudity can be a useful, positive statement, even in the States. Like the World Naked Bike Ride, a sort of "Critical Ass" of cyclists organized to protest car culture, promote sustainability practices and celebrate creative expression. Organized by Conrad Schmidt, a South African living in Vancouver, British Columbia, the international event is clothing optional.

"It's a way of challenging the stifling conformity we get here in Vancouver and North America, and certainly nudity laws challenge a system that needs shaking up," says Schmidt, who has been surprised how trouble-free the rides have been on a whole, though in America, Chicago tried to shut the event down and Los Angeles, never a hotbed of community activism, boasted a larger police-to-participant ratio.

"In Portland, people are always riding naked these days, but what's strange is they're apparently harassed more by the police when they're clothed," he says. "Nudity is tough for law enforcement because it involves the concept of indecent exposure. There's no good definition of what's indecent about the human body."

Nudists on Line or Online Sex? A Case for China

2007-04-20T16:37:00.000-07:00

Chinese online nudist off the hook
April 18 2007 at 03:43PM

Beijing - A Beijing court has thrown out a case against a woman arrested for organising nude online chatting because China's pornography laws do not mention chat rooms, state media reported on Wednesday.

The 36-year-old, identified by Xinhua news agency only by her surnamed Li, was arrested three years ago on pornography charges after taking off her clothes and chatting with other Internet users via webcam, the agency said.

Li, who also organised chat rooms for other nudists, has said she was "seeking excitement", Xinhua said.

However, prosecutors subsequently determined they were in a legal "blind spot" as online chat rooms are not defined in pornography laws.

New laws introduced since her arrest also failed to address the issue, it said.

"Under the existing laws, it is inappropriate to treat this as a criminal offence," Li Kai, a prosecutor in western Beijing's Shijinshan district, was quoted as saying.

He added that his office could not prove that Li had committed the criminal act of disseminating pornographic materials.

Members of China's rubber-stamp lawmaking bodies are routinely criticised for having little knowledge of the complex issues they are charged with legislating.

Authorities plan to stage a major crackdown on cyber-porn, which is booming in China, Xinhua reported last week. Ten government departments will spend the next six months removing pornography from the Web as part of the campaign.Online pornography is already illegal and China takes great efforts to ban offending sites, but cyber-sex remains widely available to anyone who wants to search hard enough.

To Beat the Arizona Heat...

2007-04-13T05:41:00.000-07:00

A vacation from your clothes
Having nothing to wear isn't a problem at this resort
by Leah Duran published on Thursday, April 12, 2007

Leah Duran / STATE PRESS MAGAZINE

In a quiet corner of New River, Ariz., residents and visitors hike, play volleyball and swim - naked. Welcome to Shangri La Ranch, a family-friendly resort 45 minutes north of Phoenix where nudity is the norm. Although nudity is only required at the pool, vacationers usually only don clothes when they are needed as protection from sun or rain, says Horst Kraus, who co-owns the ranch with his wife.

"To some nudists, being clothes-free is an expression of freedom from the pressures of society that say you have to wear certain clothes to belong to certain groups," Kraus says. "[Being naked] is a natural instinct for us."

Northern Arizona University student Danielle Faber, 19, was introduced to the nudist lifestyle when she was 10. "It's relaxing and comfortable," says Faber, who is Kraus' granddaughter. "My friends will sometimes say, 'Ew, you see old people naked,' but the response to that is that I just don't look at it." Far from a sexually-charged or awkward atmosphere, the mood of this 60-acre ranch is laid-back and non-judgmental, although being fully clad will earn you a few questioning glances.

The whole world has the wrong impression about nudists, Kraus says. "They have this fantasy that it's a free-for-all orgy pit," he says. "We are no more or less sexually active than anyone else."

Faber confirms the lack of a sexually-charged atmosphere. Although many people think men would have problems with getting erections in public, for example, Faber says it's rare. "It doesn't really happen because you're so relaxed," Faber says. "It's embarrassing if it does happen. Guys want to get rid of it as quickly as possible, so they cover it with a towel."

Faber, who occasionally works at the resort, says she is trying to organize a nudist club at NAU. "I talk to people on Facebook who go naked to the beach but would never think of going to a club," Faber says. Faber says she hikes and cooks naked. "It hurts if the grease pops," Faber says. "Some people I know have gone skydiving naked, but I refuse."

Nudists shed stress when they take off their clothes, says Caroline Hawkins, public relations coordinator for the American Association for Nude Recreation." You don't have the barrier of clothes restricting you," Hawkins says. "Nude recreation is not for everyone, but we're all about body acceptance. Not everyone here is a 10.

"People wearing tight dresses and expensive suits are judged on the way they're dressed, Hawkins says."Society judges on how people look, like if you have a designer suit. If you don't have clothes, there's nothing to judge," she explains.

The AANR has more than 50,000 members in the United States and Canada. Although AANR is affiliated with nudist resorts in both countries, each resort determines its own policies, Hawkins says.

While some retirees live full time at nudist communities, others residing in nudist resorts have regular day jobs where they wear clothes, Hawkins adds. AANR membership caters to those 35 and older, but the group does operate a college program and youth camps.

While some nudists stay in a specific area, others travel. Beverly Price owns and operates Arizona Wildflowers, a nudist adventure club based in Phoenix. "I've organized naked rafting trips through the Grand Canyon and Cataract Canyon in Utah, and houseboat trips on Lake Powell," says Price, who started the club with a friend more than 25 years ago. "We still have to wear life jackets," she adds.Price says she has been a nudist for 42 years.

"People's first reaction when they find out is curiosity," Price says. "I almost never get a shocked response."People of all ages participate in Arizona Wildflowers. The club has 12 regular members, though anyone can join trips, Price says.

"You are certainly expected to be a person of good character," says Price, who conducts background checks. "We don't want a pedophile around when there are kids involved. We protect ourselves.

"Young children are the easiest ones to get involved in nude recreation, Price says. "Kids are natural nudists. They have to be taught to wear clothing."Arizona Wildflowers occasionally visits other Western resorts, Price says."It's something you have to experience (for yourself)," Price adds. "Anything you're afraid to try is something you're missing out on without knowing whether you like it or dislike it."

"Rambler" Back in Slammer

2007-04-13T05:34:00.000-07:00

This guy is just an unbalanced exhibitionist, and no hero to naturism...

12 April 2007
NAKED SHOCK FOR TAXI DRIVER

A TAXI driver got an eyeful when the Naked Rambler tried to hitch a ride in his cab.

Ex-marine Stephen Gough had just been cleared of breach of the peace at Edinburgh Sheriff Court when he asked Callum Watt to give him a lift to Saughton Prison.

The 47-year-old naturist, who has been convicted of exposing himself in public eight times, was rearrested moments later.

Watt, 44, from Edinburgh, told of his shock when Gough jogged up to his taxi while he was dropping off an elderly passenger in the Grassmarket around 5pm.

The cabbie said: "I actually recognised the guy straight away - facially. When I asked him where he kept his money, he didn't answer and again asked for a lift.

"I said if he had a pair of shorts then he could sit quite happily in my taxi but otherwise, no."

A crowd had gathered, with some taking pictures of Gough on their mobile phones.

A police van was parked nearby and Gough walked straight over and got in it.

Watt said: "I would have liked to talk with the chap.

"In five years I would say he is the strangest passenger that's ever tried to get in my taxi. It certainly brightened my day up."

Police said Gough was arrested, charged with breach of the peace and kept in custody.

Take Off Your Shoes (and Everything Else) and Relax

2007-04-12T14:43:00.000-07:00

From Diary of a Nudist...

A recent survey conducted by a bathroom equipment company found that 46% of women regularly walk around the house in the nude. For men, the number is two thirds. The bad news is that one-third of all women surveyed have such serious body issues that they fear being naked with their partners. And 79% of women admit to being shy when in the locker room with other women.

Jill Parkinson, from www.shuc.com, the company which commissioned the research, said: "It's shocking how self-conscious people are about being naked in front of their partners - especially when it comes to the bathroom. "This shows how seriously people think about their body image - yet being bare-skinned is such a natural thing."

Modern society has a long way to go in helping these women overcome their fear of their own bodies, but from my perspective this survey shows that more than half of all people are natural nudists, at least within their own homes.

If you have the opportunity, the next time you step out of the shower and dry off, don't put on clothes and spend as much time as possible in the nude. Try sleeping in the nude. When you get home from work, take off all your clothes and relax in front of the TV, or have dinner in the nude. This is how most nudists start out, just discovering the simple joy and freedom of nudity, and most who adopt this sensibility never go back to the textile world.

You don't have to go to a nudist resort to be a nudist - all it takes is removing your clothes and letting go a little.

Garden of Eden Located in Britain!

2007-04-12T14:37:00.000-07:00

Naturists to flock to 'Garden of Eden'

2,500 will roam the EdenProject in the nude

One of the UK's biggest ever naturist events is to take place this summer at the Eden Project in Cornwall.The largest rainforest in captivity will throw open its doors to 2,500 naturists on the night of the summer solstice. The event, called 'The Garden of Eden', organised and hosted by 'Red Letter Days' with the support of the Eden Project, Visit Cornwall (the Cornish Tourist Board) and British Naturism is on Saturday, 23 June, 2007 from 7 to 11 p.m.

Nude guests will have the opportunity to experience the world's different climates, flowers and plants in the warm temperate biome or visit the 30-acre roofless biome under the Cornish sun, or wander around the newly opened Core, a building which reflects the 'miracles of nature'.

British Naturism is also planning a weekend of events close to the Eden Project, with accommodation arrangements to make it easy for as many people as possible to be in the area at the time. Plans include parties, music, sports and other activities and a day on the beach. A new website accompanies the event, www.nudefest2007.com, which will be launched soon.

The evening will include:· Exclusive entry for naturists to the world-class Eden Project, with the chance to access all areas of this magnificent site.

· Delicious and plentiful hot and cold buffet dinner of fresh, mainly locally sourced produce.

· Two drinks per person from a choice of wine, locally brewed beer and soft drinks.

· Fun and entertaining activities around the site, including face painting and other activities for children, as well as some great live music.

· Free guided tours of the site and Biomes.

· Goody bag to take home.

· Fantastic produce stalls and exhibitors.

· Free prize draw to win some mind-blowing Red Letter Day experiences.

· Free guarded bag storage on site.

Tickets can be bought from the Garden of Eden website or by calling Red Letter Days on 0845 600 7635.

Brit Wacko Gets Out of Jail

2007-04-12T14:35:00.000-07:00

Once again, let me say: this guy is nuts...

Naked rambler cleared by sheriff

Stephen Gough was cleared of causing distress by the sheriff"Naked rambler" Stephen Gough has been cleared of causing a breach of the peace by refusing to cover up in a public car park.
Despite being convicted eight times, Sheriff Isobel Poole ruled that his latest case was not proven.

The ex-marine, from Eastleigh in Hampshire, admitted refusing to dress before being released into Saughton Prison car park in Edinburgh.

He successfully argued that his naked state had not distressed others.

I can understand this conduct could be considered unpleasant to passers-by had there been any
Sheriff Isobel Poole

Isobel Poole ruled that there was insufficient evidence to show that his state of undress had caused alarm to members of the public, therefore causing a breach of the peace.

She told Edinburgh Sheriff Court that in this case there was no evidence of "actual alarm or disturbance".

She added: "I can understand this conduct could be considered unpleasant to passers-by had there been any but there is a lack of evidence to that effect."

Fiscal Depute Naeema Sajid had argued unsuccessfully that because the Saughton car park was visited by a variety of people, including children, an offence had been committed.

Boots and rucksack

Gough is currently awaiting a High Court decision on his appeal against contempt of court convictions for refusing to cover up in the dock.

Last year the ex-marine was jailed for four months for stripping off in the toilet of a plane flying from Southampton to Edinburgh.

He has also been convicted of walking into Edinburgh Sheriff Court naked, appearing naked in the dock and of walking through Midlothian wearing only boots and a rucksack.

He first hit the headlines when he rambled from Land's End to John O'Groats in a bid to raise awareness of his belief that people should be allowed to appear in their natural state.

Da, Ve Are Nudists

2007-04-10T16:16:00.000-07:00

Dress Code: Take It Off
Alastair Gee – The Moscow Times
April 10, 2007

MOSCOW, RUSSIA -- Nudism has nothing to do with sex, members of Moscow nudist group Telord wearily repeat.

But it seems that no one told group member Igor Nurmukhametov, who admits to nudist beach and banya flirtations going a bit further.

"If I see a woman on the street, I'll look at her butt, breasts, whether she's pleasant-looking. It's the same here," said the musician, 39, wearing a towel after skinny-dipping at a pool complex where everybody, including this reporter, shucked their clothes.

Forty people stripped at the recent three-hour Telord meeting, including the CEO of a mid-size firm, a scientist who makes candy building blocks, and two children -- though they all then donned sandals for hygiene reasons, and some women tottered about in heels and pink lipstick. Most were middle-aged or older, portly or with their ribs showing, some pendulous, others hirsute. None were gay, as homosexuals are banned.

Telord (www.naturism. ru) is Moscow's largest group of naturists -- a term usually used interchangeably with nudist. Other groups of naturists regularly rent out 10 Moscow banyas, each drawing up to 40 people at a time. In the summer, hundreds congregate on a traditional nudist beach at the Serebryany Bor recreation area, though it isn't very comfortable, as city authorities have planted their beach with pines.

Authorities take a dim view of their activities. Nudism is "a violation of social morals," said police spokesman Igor Bashev, adding that if nude people appeared in, say, the city center, it would upset tourists, women and children.

A Russian Orthodox Church spokesman pointed to scripture. "The first feeling to visit Adam and Eve after the Fall was the realization of their nakedness," said Father Mikhail Prokopenko, head of the Moscow Patriarchate' s press service. "A person naturally covers his body. And all in all, it's in the traditions of our people. Public nudity was considered a shameful occurrence."

Naturism was outlawed in the Soviet Union in the 1930s, and naturists only began practicing openly here in the late 1980s. Telord was registered in 1995 -- a Moscow Times report from that year said it was created after leader Sergei Mityushin was confronted by nude heavies at Serebryany Bor and ousted as leader of his previous club.

And another crisis is looming, said Mityushin. Like all NGOs, Telord has to register with the authorities. Mityushin despairs that he'll have to pay a bribe of about $800, and have difficulty convincing the government to support a bunch of naked people. Federal Registration Service press secretary Gennady Alibekov reassured, however, that every group had an equal right to be registered.

For now, members don't look very worried. A woman wearing only goggles whooped as she plunged down a waterslide.

In the sport center's tiny banya, both sexes cheerfully squashed up against each other, rows of pink thighs glistening with sweat. They did exercises said to expel bacteria from the nose and esophagus, unclenching their fists at nipple height and simultaneously snorting. "Not bad," a woman said, smiling to a friend.

According to Telord etiquette, if a man gets aroused, he should take a cold shower. A couple once caught having sex in the pool was ejected. And while members don't think their bodies are sinful, they can be dirty. Everybody spreads towels before sitting down.

"Although we have beautiful young people here, I've never thought I wanted to carry on with them beyond this place," said Alexander, 60, a stout businessman sprawled on a sofa who declined to give his surname. "We're above that here."

Mityushin ensures there's an even number of men and women, and if someone comes alone, he interviews them to ensure they're normal. Single men have to pay more. The main naturist organization in Britain, for example, does not have these rules.

Irina Selesnyova, 38, said she would shun any clearly gay or lesbian visitors.

"We have little kids here, normal families -- normal, standard families. A dad, a mom, a child," she said, supporting her breasts with her arms lest they become saggy.

As the session drew to a close, the naturists sat round a table contentedly munching sausages and cucumbers. Come New Year's and Women's Day, they play traditional games: Women do stripteases and sit on chairs covered with chocolates, and men try to move a box with a bottle dangling from their waists. They also slow dance, which is when the cold showers are required.

"We entered this world naked, and it's nothing sinful, nothing dirty," Nurmukhametov said.

"People look into your eyes more here," he added.

Source: http://www.moscowtimes.ru/stories/2007/04/10/026.html

How Many "Indoor Nudists" Are There?

2007-04-07T07:20:00.000-07:00

It seems that items like this pass the wires a couple of times a month:

Singer MACY GRAY is a secret nudist and strips off when she's at home. The star claims she picked up the habit from her mother. Gray says, "My mother used to walk around the house naked. She used to cook naked. I got it from her."

So how many "strictly at home" nudists are there? I suspect many people started as Ms. Gray eventually "graduated" to social nudism, but that the vast majority do not. Some research, please?

For more on Macy Gray, click here.

The Body Image of the British Woman

2007-04-06T12:21:00.000-07:00

This article appeared on a UK website. I have included some on the more interesting comments added by readers.

Too shy to strip in front of a man
By DUNCAN ROBERTSON - Last updated at 10:54am on 28th March 2007
http://www.dailymai l.co.uk/
Comments (29)

A third of women are too shy to take their clothes off in front of their partners

A third of women think they are too fat ever to appear naked in front of their partners, according to a survey.

Images of stick-thin models and digitally-slimmed celebrities are convincing a whole generation to keep their clothes on at all times.

Experts believe the compulsion to cover up is putting a serious strain on domestic relationships, with one woman in ten having to turn out the light before she can undress in front of her partner.

Some of the most awkward encounters happen in the bathroom - with nearly a quarter of females never entering with their other half.

Of those who do, around a third said they felt self-conscious about being seen in the nude. According to the survey of 3,500 women for a bathroom equipment company, one in ten is so body-shy she will even lock the bathroom door to avoid her partner bursting in.

Despite all this, almost all women interviewed agreed that it was vital that a couple felt comfortable naked together. Men seem largely immune to the insecurities afflicting their girlfriends and wives, and are happy spending almost double the amount of time being naked in an average day.

They are so fond of being naked that more than two-thirds said they regularly walk around the house with nothing on.

Even though 46 per cent of women confess they like to do the same, a third of these said they would never wander naked where their partner could see them.

It is the same in the gym, where 79 per cent admitted they had hang-ups showering and changing in front of other women.

Jill Parkinson, from http://www.shuc.com/, the company which commissioned the research, said: "It's shocking how self-conscious people are about being naked in front of their partners - especially when it comes to the bathroom.

"This shows how seriously people think about their body image - yet being bare-skinned is such a natural thing."

Comments:

The majority of British women are fat. They're embarrased enough to hide - understandable - but still not motivated to stop eating and get fit. Why not? Is it because apologists and agony aunts in UK newspapers say being 'heavy' is OK or men really want full figured women? 99% of men want a healthy, fit, firm woman without an ounce of fat on her. Similarly 99% of women want men with washboard stomachs. Genarally there is no excuse for being fat because walking and running is free. In HK British women visually stand out from Aussies/N.Zealander s/Europeans because they're fat - great advertisment for the UK!

- Matt, Hong Kong

Hmm, not so helpful...many slapped Matt down.

Everybody should spend some time on a naturist beach. It could change how you feel about yourself and change your outlook on life. I do every chance I get.- Alan, Leeds

Now that seems helpful...

Find Yourself if You Bare

2007-04-05T11:57:00.000-07:00

Lose the clothes, find yourself

BRENDAN WORK – The Phoenix (Swarthmore College, PA)

April 5, 2007

SWARTHMORE, PA -- As spring emerges and flowers bloom, Swatties are shedding their winter clothes. But some, namely the Tri-Co Nudists, are shedding more than others. Now that the temperature permits, the recently-formed club has begun to walk the Crum Woods in the nude, and though their membership is short, their devotion is not.

“Nudism is about having fun and realizing you don’t need clothes to do that,” Tri-Co Nudists co-founder Eric Mulligan ’08 said. “There’s nothing wrong with nudity.”

But Mulligan and co-founder Gaby Kogut, Bryn Mawr ’09, face public stigma about their philosophies. Although they report a maximum of about 12 members, Mulligan and Kogut were the only two to attend the April 2 information session. While part of that may be attributable to lack of publicity and snacks (Kogut noted, “Nudists are people, too; they eat food,” and suggested free sushi at the next meeting) they acknowledged disappointment at the turnout.

“I was expecting at least a few people,” Mulligan said. “The stigma is a little bit stronger than I thought. Maybe people don’t understand what we do.”

And the Nudists’ purpose, they say, is neither body image advocacy nor ideological persuasion. Going on one-hour walks in the Crum, with occasional swimming, is something they describe very simply.

“Ultimately, it’s recreational,” Kogut said.

“There’s the potential for advocacy,” Mulligan said, “but that’s not our mission. We’re about doing, not talking.”

Mulligan admitted that the group’s bare-all attitude isn’t for everyone, but he didn’t foresee any problems cropping up between the Nudists and the college.

“We’re not worried about [legal repercussions] happening,” he said. “Usually when people see us, they walk away. They could complain, but frankly I think that would be just asinine.”

“Some people got scared and some just grinned at us,” Kogut explainee. “The funny thing is, people are going to be scared of a group more than a single person. We have the upper hand. We undo conditioning.”

That social conditioning, Kogut claims, is the root of the taboo so widely held toward the practice also known as naturism, which is more acceptable at the thousands of nude beaches and nudist communities Europe boasts than at the 65 nude beaches America has.

“Clothing makes it worse, because you have to worry about what you look like,” she said. “Fashion is about concealment. If you’re curvy, you have to look thin. If you’re short, you have to look tall. It’s all about looking the way you don’t look.”

But while an interest in the human body and its image introduced Kogut, an art history major, to nudism, Mulligan’s interest stemmed from a lifelong passion to be naked.

“I’ve been a closet nudist all my life,” he said. “I’ve always felt you shouldn’t need to cover anything up. I’ve been modeling for art classes for a while, but I had to wonder if anyone shared my opinion.”

Even as membership results currently lend towards ‘no,’ Mulligan is certain that Swarthmore remains an untapped community.

“If I found several people among my friends who were interested,” he theorized, “statistically speaking, there’s bound to be someone else here. I know you’re out there.”

Source: http://phoenix. swarthmore. edu/2007- 04-05/living/ 17161

Desert Shadows is Purchased; Renovation Plans Cancelled

2007-04-04T16:16:00.000-07:00

A terse announcement has appeared on the home page of Desert Shadows (Palm Springs), the flagship naturist resort of the west, indicating that DS has been purchased by an investment group and that the renovation plans for the resort have been canceled.

This story is still developing.

Bored with her briefs, the lawyer who gave it all up for naturism

2007-04-04T16:09:00.000-07:00

Bored with her briefs, the lawyer who gave it all up for naturism

by LUKE SALKELD - More by this author » Last updated at 21:49pm on 3rd April 2007

As a high-flying investment banker, Samantha Taylor was the epitome of naked ambition.

The 27-year-old law graduate had a demanding but successful career with an international firm.

But after five years of the long hours culture, Mrs Taylor became bored with her briefs - legal and otherwise - and has quit her £35,000-a-year job to run a naturist resort.

Scroll down for more...

Banker Sam Taylor quit her high-flying job to run a naturist resort with her nudist husband Mark

Mrs Taylor and her husband Mark have bought a hotel on the Greek island of Kefalonia which is due to open this summer as the Vassaliki Naturist Club.

Yesterday Mrs Taylor said her parents and colleagues could barely believe her decision.

"I was happy with my job but Mark and I always fancied doing something abroad," she said.

"When he first suggested setting up a nudist resort I thought he was bonkers. I looked into it, though, and began to come around to the idea. We flew out to Greece and found a site and loved it.

"I was extremely nervous telling my family, friends and colleagues.

"Most nudists never have to tell anyone what they do but I had to tell the world and it came as a surprise to some people.

"My parents didn't know that I was a nudist until we came up with the business idea.

"But they actually found it very interesting and were very open-minded about it. They could see it was what we want to do and have been very supportive ever since."

The hotel complex in Kefalonia which they will turn into the Vassaliki Naturist Club

Mrs Taylor was introduced to the joys of naturism after she met chef Mark, 35, while she was studying law at the University of Kent.

She recalled: "Mark didn't tell me that he was a naturist for about two years. I had never had anything to do with naturism before and I was a bit shocked when he told me.

"After that quite often I would come home from work and he'd be preparing dinner in the buff."

To be supportive, she dipped her toe into the world of public nudity after taking her place on the J P Morgan graduate training scheme in Bournemouth.

Remembering her first tentative steps along the naturist beach at nearby Studland Point, she said: "I was a nervous wreck. I kept on my bikini bottoms to start with and went topless. But as I got more comfortable I took them off as well.

"Mark held my hand as we walked down the beach and I was surprised at how nice it was.

"I soon realised that nobody was interested or looking at me and I actually began to enjoy the experience."

Idyllic: Just another day in the Greek Islands

After they married in 2005 the couple, who own a two-bedroom bungalow in Ringwood, discussed moving abroad, and Mark then came up with the idea of running a naturist resort.

They flew to Greece to look at possible sites and fell in love with the site they are developing.

Mrs Taylor said: "It is a stunning resort with 11 apartments and a swimming pool and bar.

"We decided to go for it and sold our bungalow to cover the cost.

"In the first year we are expecting to break even but we hope word will get around and things will build from there."

Her husband is equally excited about their adventure.

He said: "I have been involved in nudism for many years but only at a beach level. People are usually very interested in it but are not really sure what it is about.

"We are already quite booked up for the coming months which is an excellent sign. I am very excited about it all, it really is our dream."

Tongue in Bare Cheek

2007-03-29T15:36:00.000-07:00

Nudist always wear one-button suits (but sometimes double-breasted)

Nudists are people with nothing to hide

Depressed - maybe all you need is a brand nude attitude

If God had meant us to be nude, we would have been born that way

Naturism is entirely natural - no artificial ingredients added

Nudist's wives really do have nothing to wear

The only problem with nudism is ---
you wear the same thing day after day after day

Nudists bare more than their soles

He who sleeps in the raw is in for a nude awakening

An Alaskan nudist is a polar bare

Nude beaches are free, but textile beaches have a cover charge

Scottish nudists are off-kilter

Nude is just barefoot all over

Silk - invented so women could go naked in clothes

A nudist friend would give you the shirt off his back

Nudists have no dirty laundry to air

Just wear a smile, or wear nothing at all -- or wear both!!

You'll never catch a nudist with his pants down

Every nudist is born in the same state ----- NUDE

Nudist investor pray for a bare market

Was Yogi Bare a Buddist Nudist

A nudist fears no pickpocket

A harp is a naked piano

You never outgrow your birthday suit

Does a nudist resort clothes for the winter??

Naked is as naked does
(Forrest Gump didn't say that, but he should have)

When nudist go dancing, things really start to swing

and the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed -
genesis 2:25

That's a No-No

2007-03-29T15:33:00.000-07:00

Wisconsin nude beach cracks down on sex

March 28, 2007

MADISON, Wis. -- Willow trees lining the Mazomanie nude beach on the Wisconsin River have been removed to reduce alleged sexual activity and provide more sun for nesting turtles.

''These willows just became a cruising area for people looking for sexual activity out there,'' Steve Colden, the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway's property manager, said this week.

The nude beach has been used by naturists for more than 50 years.

Bob Morton of the Naturist Action Committee said his group approved of the attempts to control the beach.

''If there is overt sexual activity in public, it jeopardizes the beach,'' he said. ''Naturists do know the difference between nudity and sex.''

You Can Pack Light at Sea

2007-03-29T15:27:00.000-07:00


Published: March 25, 2007 at 10:41 PM

Nude cruises see spike in sales

LONDON, March 25 (UPI) -- Britain has seen a surge in sales for nude cruises from the Croatian coast to Alaska, The Times of London says.

Travel companies reported that in the past five years, the number of vacationers choosing to go on nudist, or "naturist," cruises has doubled.

While many vacationers opt for the warmer waters of the Caribbean, an Alaskan nude cruise line has also reported a dramatic jump in sales. The July cruise offers a chance to "hike through the massive Juneau ice field."

Britons are reportedly one of the fastest growing groups of nude cruise ship travelers. Most vacationers are between the ages of 45 and 55.

UK Naturist Club to Have Children Present Again

2007-03-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

Nudist club calls on families for support
Cambs Times
March 23, 2007

UNITED KINGDOM -- A short-lived ban on children going along to a nudist swimming club almost led to its closure. Organisers are now hoping families will once again support the venture.

Numbers plummeted at Club Soleil when children were banned due to concerns over child protection issues.

Norman and June Calvert had already been running the sessions at Whittlesey's Manor Pool for eight years when the ban was imposed.

Mr Calvert said: "There was never anything remotely suspicious about the club and the children were looked after in a proper way. We had loads of nasty and abusive phone calls but nothing had ever happened. "It caused us a lot of trouble and distress but in fact the children were better supervised than at ordinary swimming sessions."

After a three-month battle costing thousands of pounds, the ban was lifted but families failed to return to the club.

With numbers dropping and soaring hire charges, the couple were tempted to call it a day and close the club. Now with more people supporting the Saturday evening swims, they have decided to give it another go but are hoping families will go along.

Mr Calvert said: "If you are a naturist you are very welcome or if you would like to give naturism a chance then this is a good way to do it."

The meetings are on the first Saturday of the month at 7pm from May to September.

Source: http://www.cambs-times.co.uk/content/cambstimes/news/story.aspx?brand=CATOnline&category=NewsCambs&tBrand=cambs24&tCategory=NewsCAT&itemid=WEED23%20Mar%202007%2012%3A33%3A53%3A470
__._,_.___

A View of Nudity from South Asia

2007-03-23T12:48:00.000-07:00

From Sri Lanka we read this admittedly muddle-minded editorial:

NUDITY: From the time Eve ate and tempted Adam to eat the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge and found that they were naked and covered themselves with figs to hide their frame which was created in the likeness of God, the introduction of clothes made man engrossed about nudity and the genitals has overwhelmed him.

The nudity has been the subject of controversy so much so that worshippers of Satan and the cult of Anti Christ has proclaimed that nudity is the concept of God and Anti nudity and knowledge is the concept of Satan.

When the Church commissioned, Michael Angelo to carve out from a single stone of Marble the statue of David exposing his genitals, it created so much controversy that some Popes ordered that the sexual organs be covered by fig leaves.

This appeased the puritans and moralists who considered the naked exhibition of genitals was not keeping with the teaching of Christ. Throughout the ages nudity has created controversy.
When the British conquered India and found the most wonderful piece of architectural monument in Khajuraho the imperialist who believed that they were the ultimate authority in culture or civilisation thought that the sculptures of statues and the carvings were the product of a barbaric tribe.

The officers of the imperialist army were shocked beyond belief when they saw the most fascinating erotic sculptures.

Being brought up in the Victorian prudery where even a lady exhibiting her ankle was considered vulgar decided to destroy these temples.

Thus some of the most wonderful architectural masterpieces ever created by man was partly destroyed by the imperialists who at that time was brought up in a tradition that nudity, sex and erotic art were considered barbaric.

Mulk Raj Ananda said that the mental and the cultural imperialism of the British was a greatest evil perpetrated on the Indian people than their conquest of the land.

The ancient liberal approach to sex which was believed to be divinely inspired by the Hindus were muted by the British when the Victorian concepts of morality were introduced.

In India one of the largest religions is known as Jainism. The followers of sage Mahavira Jains believe that nakedness is an essential element of the road to liberation. Mahavira himself, whose life shows Jains the way to liberation, set an example of total nudity amongst its followers.
But Jainism also decreed that as the women cannot be permitted to be in the nude, they will have to be re-born men so that they can shed their clothes and find liberation.

Even today In India especially in the State of Maharashtra the Jaina monks walk in the nude and accept alms from men and women. No one raised an eyebrow or throws stones at the holy pious monks for being in the nude.

A few days ago controversy about nudity raged again in London. The hero of our times Master Harry Potter, the child wizard, who made its creator Mrs. J.K.Rawlings the richest writer in history and further the movie a box office hit.

Mrs J.K. Rawlings has been writing from the age of six the stories which became the best sellers, shows that mental age of the readers of Harry Potter has not developed beyond the age in which the author started writing which is six.

Millions of people revels in fantasy in dreams the fact that the book was originally published in England and translated in to sixty three languages shows that mental age of the reader whether he lives in sophisticated surroundings in London or in the remote hamlets of Indonesia the mental remains the same.

Douglas Amarasekara termed this phenomenon as the rise of the lower classes. If one has to survive in the 21st century as a writer or an artist one has to cater to the lower classes and the vulgar tastes that these masses cherish.

The writings of Rawlings were just the piece of cake that was gobbled up by masses fascinated by wizards, witches and sorcerers. When the people were getting bored of Dinosaurs the wizards were recreated.

The movies of Harry Potter were equally popular as the book. Young actor Daniel Radcliff gave life to Harry Potter and conjured all the tricks of the trade and made Harry Potter come to life.
Daniel Radcliff as Harry Potter was able to instil in the spectators the mythical concepts that haunted the English public from time immemorial. They were molly coddled by the nightmares they had as children.

Advances made in the Science field from the composition of the Atom to the exploration of the Universe or theory of relativity has made a profound impact on mankind.

But these innovations and discoveries have made the fertile and imaginative mind to create a creature of Science like the cloning of dinosaurs or mythical dragons and other things that haunted men from the beginning.

Once the spectators and readers got bored of science fiction stuff, the creatures from fairy tales the wizards and witches were given a new lease of life.

Our infantile mind with limited imagination is fertile ground to sow the seed of ignorance. The entertainment industry has used these traits to their advantage.

With the advent of sophisticated computer animations Master Daniel Radcliff as Harry Potter became icon among teenagers. The delusions spread through the systems that not only the children but also the parents began to love the wonder of Harry Potter and began to re-live their adolescence.

Once a famed Indian director was asked by me why do Indian films feast on the same formula of songs dances and fights, the Hero ultimately triumphing over evil. He answered my question in the most calm and assured manner. What will a child grab, a plate of rice or chocolates?”

Why do the Indian directors feel that Sri Lankan adults are children? The box-office collection show that the spectators whether Indian or Sri Lanka are not different. The success of Harry Potter clearly shows that the Indian film director was right and I was wrong.

Master Radcliff might have undergone the same that went through the mind of Sean Connery when he refused to be type caste as James Bond. He turned out be one of the great actors of modern era.

The time comes that one is bored by the kind of cheap success one enjoys. David Radcliff at the age of 17 decided to shed his own clothes, and the image of Harry Potter, and perform in the nude before audience spell-bound by that action alone.

They came to see in thousands not to behold the spectacle of a young boy, blinding six horses which was liken to that of an act of a Serial Killer, but to see Master Radcliff shedding his fig leaves and exposing his genitals.

Many may have come to the hall buying expensive tickets to be titillated by the exposure. Voyeurists may have had the pleasure of seeing one of the most popular and sought after actors shedding his clothes. The peeping toms are the product of Victorian prudery and sexual oppression that went with it.

Only a few may have understood the deep penetrating portrayal of cruelty of child exposed to the major dilemmas of the 20th century; its industrialisation, commercial culture and its acute sexual repression, and its attitude towards human relationship measured in money and success.
Peter Sahffer’s Equus was brilliant play and moving theatre which made inroads into child psychology and the ability of psychiatrist to understand the reason of the Child blinding six horses.

But the crowds who may have been oblivious to the deep penetrative analysis of the mind of a child who is exposed to cruelty around him, would have been shocked by their hero shedding the clothes and exposing his nudity to the audience.

So whether we live in exclusive plush suburbs of London or in Wanathamulla, the degree of obsession to nudity is the same.

Sexual suppression has driven men around the world and has caused mental sicknesses and the fantasies they develop around sexuality is the same as their child hood fantasies of wizards witches and dragons.

When Master Radcliff decided to shed all his clothes and perform in front of a discerning audience, it was proved that he cannot be oppressed by stringent puritanical Victorian beliefs about nudity and morality.

He showed to the world, that nudity is an important aspect of Human Anatomy and no one should be ashamed of the human body, which has been, according the majority of the population who believes in Christianity and the Bible, created by God, in image ad the likeness of him. Only worshippers of Satan, would condemn Nudity.