The Daily Newds 5/5/09

• The Martin Schreiber nude photographs of Madonna are taking England by storm.
• Once again, a nude calendar has raised thousands of dollars for charity.
• Here's more on British Naturism's Nudefest event.

  Dr Elletson, a direct descendant of Geoffrey the Crossbowman – the original Lord of the Manor of Preesall-with-Hackensall – is said to be very enthusiastic about the area's first naturist weekend and is keen to include the local community in the provision of services and entertainment.

• A couple of Congressional Democrats have jumped on the prude bandwagon and are sponsoring a bill to ban "indecent" advertising on television during prime time viewing hours. Erectile dysfunction ads are specifically targeted. It's somewhat ironic that one of the chief spokespersons for ED drugs was former Senator Bob Dole.
• The "Models as Muse" exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art celebrates beautiful women and how ideals have evolved. The topless bathing suit is included.
• Here's a more detailed local story on the grandmother busted for taking a nude photo of her granddaughter.
• Outside Magazine explores places to get naked in the great outdoors.
• A columnist declares that sexting is this generation's streaking or skinny-dipping. I don't think that's quite accurate because streaking and skinny-dipping are still happening, and sexting is not quite as innocent. As I've stated before, sexting is an electronic extension of teen sexuality. Kids are out there having real physical sex - oral, anal, and vaginal - and sexting is merely evidence that this activity is occurring. The issue is whether or not teens trading nude photos of themselves constitutes child pornography. My stand is that is is not child pornography, that it is freedom of expression, and adults need to come to terms with the fact that criminalizing the sexuality of children is an abomination.
• A city councilman attempted to pass an ordinance prohibiting nudity in the Lake Edun Foundation's four nights of one-act plays.

  While there is a city ordinance and state law prohibiting publicly exposing a sex organ with “intent to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of the offender or another,” local prosecutors said the plays didn’t violate those laws.

The Weekend Newds 2/13/09

• Columnist Jennifer Parello is approached by a harsh critic while nude in a locker room.
• A Chinese woman is flashing her lopsided breasts outside a hospital to protest her botched implants.
• A woman wearing a bikini top was booted from an Australian shopping mall because security thought she was wearing a bra.
• A divorced father of three boys writes to an advice columnist because he's concerned about the nudity they found to be "cool" on a beach vacation with their mother and her boyfriend. Instead of reassuring him that nudity on many beaches is a cultural norm, "Ellie" offers the following bad advice:

  Obviously, if you ever believe your children are being neglected or abused, you should legally object, and protect your sons in every way possible. BUT, regarding different values, your recourse depends on your keeping open good lines of communication, both with your sons and your ex.

• A British naturist club has found a new home at a public pool.

  Malcolm Boura, 56, one of the club's founders and a naturist for more than 30 years, said:"It's only a minority of people who misunderstand what naturism is about. Evidence from polls show that clearly the public in general understand.
  
  "We had one or two hiccups when we started in Mildenhall. But the council, which ran the pool at the times, was very helpful and very supportive and we had remarkably little difficulty."

• The Springfield Foundation in Ohio has requested that a painting of a nude woman by Jerry Ott be removed from the Springfield Museum of Art for their annual meeting.

  "We have a conservative donor base," explained Ted Vander Roest, the foundation's executive director. "We felt it wouldn't be to their liking.
  
  "Some of them are in their 80s."

• Students at the University of Iowa will host their first annual Nearly Naked Mile on Saturday, March 7, where runners remove layers of clothing for charity.
• Beer, floats and nudity have been banned from this year's Bay to Breakers run in San Francisco, but police said they will not issue citations for indecent exposure.
• Two Wisconsin teens face municipal citations for exchanging nude photos of themselves. Police are calling it "kids making poor choices", but the article does not state specifically what the charges are.
• That nude photo of Madonna sold for $37,500.
• Parents like this one need to start fighting back against porn charges when their kids are caught sexting.

  Brian Hunt told the Cape Cod Times that the Lawrence School students, ranging in age from 12 to 14, have "learned their lesson," and that media reports of the incident have been overblown.
  
  "They're all good kids," he said. "But they are young. A 13-year-old did what a 13-year-old did. They all knew that they weren't supposed to do it."

• The video of Salma Hayek breastfeeding another woman's baby has cast a light on the USA and its unique phobia about breastfeeding issues.

  "We've lost the concept that breastfeeding is normal and human in the United States," said (Dr. Miriam) Labbok. "In most of the world, it's [nursing someone else's baby is] as common as breastfeeding" one's own."

Huffington Post Publishes Madonna Full Frontal Nude Photo

It's not news that Madonna posed for nude photos 30 years ago in order to make ends meet, but it is noteworthy that The Huffington Post web site today published the uncensored image (with a NSFW disclaimer). Since the print is being sold through Christie's and is expected to fetch $10,000, the editors must have felt the image now falls into the category of "high art".

Look, it's a nice image, but it's no different than what you see on quality nude photography web sites like Domai or MetArt, and far less erotic than a Georgia O'Keeffe painting. I just find it amusing that a photo once peddled in Playboy as being scandalous is now acceptable.

So at what point does a nude photo of a spread-eagled woman become art in our society? Is it the fact that the subject is a celebrity? Bingo. Other than the fact that it's a photo of Madonna, it's no different than any other good cheesecake photo out there.

As a nudist, I have no problem with either image. It's the double standard that irritates me.

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked