San Onofre in the New York Times

San Onofre was covered in yesterday's New York Times. Read more here.

Judge blocks no-nudity rules - San Diego Union Tribune

from: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20080820-9999-1m20nude.html

Tentative ruling bars enforcement at beach
By Terry Rodgers
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

August 20, 2008

SAN ONOFRE – Nudists who congregate at the remote southern end of San Onofre State Beach can still let it all hang out, at least for a while longer.

A tentative ruling yesterday by an Orange County judge has halted plans by the state Parks and Recreation Department to enforce no-nudity rules after Labor Day.

“We've got them pinned back,” said Allen Baylis, president of the Friends of San Onofre Beach, a group seeking to preserve the nudist tradition at the north San Diego County beach.

In June, state parks officials announced they were ending a three-decade-old practice of allowing nudity at what is known as Trail 6 beach.

Parks officials said they intended, beginning Sept. 2, to cite or arrest beach-goers who refused to heed posted warnings prohibiting nudism.

The Naturist Action Committee, a national pro-nudist group, sued, claiming the state could not unilaterally change a state policy without first holding a public hearing. In addition, the suit said, parks officials must codify the new rules through the state's Office of Administrative Law.

In her preliminary ruling, Superior Court Judge Sheila Fell sided with the naturists and ordered the state to “maintain the status quo.”

Lawyers for both parties are scheduled to appear in court in Orange County today to deliver oral arguments on the ruling.

Nudism is not technically legal at California's state beaches. However, since 1978, the department's policy has been to leave nudists alone unless a complaint from the public is received.

Ultimately, state parks officials may still be able to adopt a zero-tolerance stance against nudity at San Onofre, but their path now contains more steps.

“This puts a huge speed bump in their way,” Baylis said.

Parks officials said strict enforcement of nudity laws was necessary to deter lewd conduct by people attracted to the permissive atmosphere at the beach. Action had to be taken, they said, because the illegal sexual activity had created a hostile and “sexually charged” workplace detrimental to park employees.

The naturists say they have cooperated for decades with state parks officials to deter sexual activity at the beach and its bluff-top trail.

“This is all about freedom,” Baylis said. “It has nothing to do with sex.”

Love at a Nudist RV Park (Huffington Post)

from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/doreen-orion/love-at-a-nudist-rv-park_b_106851.html

Love At A Nudist RV Park

When my husband Tim announced he wanted to "chuck it all" and travel around the country in a converted bus for a year, I gave this profound and potentially life-altering notion all the thoughtful consideration it deserved.

"Why can't you be like a normal husband with a midlife crisis and have an affair or buy a Corvette?" I demanded, adding, "I will never, ever, EVER, not in a million years, live on a bus."

We're both psychiatrists, but he's obviously the better shrink, for we soon set forth with our two querulous cats, sixty-pound dog - and no agenda - in a 340-square-foot bus.

The trip was truly life-changing in many ways: We learned how not to put off our dreams, and the importance of living now. We also learned to pare down our lifestyle, so that we could spend more time with the people we love - instead of the things we love. Finally, I hadn't realized how comfortable - too comfortable - my life had become. Many of us work so hard all our lives, wake up one day and ask, "Is this all there is?" I hadn't realized the importance of continuing to challenge and stretch myself.

Although we had our share of disasters on the trip (fire, flood, armed robbery and my developing a bus phobia, to just to name a few), it were the adventures and misadventures that helped us grow, shake things up and add back a certain "spark" that we didn't even realize was missing. Perhaps nothing taught me the importance of getting outside my comfort zone more than... well, let's just say it was hard enough getting on the bus. But a nudist RV park?

Although as a psychiatrist Tim is very much in tune with unconscious drives, hidden meanings, and deep-seated motivations, he is also a typical guy. And typical guys want to go to nudist resorts. Not being any type of a guy myself, I had always informed him I would never, ever, EVER, not in a million . . . Oh, what's the use? By now I had clearly lost any semblance of free will. I was, after all, living in a bus for a year. I didn't stand a chance. Not that I was nonchalant about this, mind you; I'd started Atkins in anticipation - just in case - months before. I need not have bothered, for as I discovered, nudists are incredibly low-key. Unless, that is, you're trying to get into one of their parks. Then they can be just as big a pain in the ass as any prudes.

As we neared California, I checked around on the Internet. One place seemed particularly promising, so I called and asked if they were, indeed, clothing optional.

"No," the lady unequivocally answered.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I must have the wrong information," I apologized, hoping she didn't think me some weirdo. But something in her voice made me query further.

"So . . . people don't walk around naked?" I tried to confirm.

"Oh, yes, they do," she answered. Is this place English optional, or what? "Okay . . . but you're not clothing optional." I offered slowly, with impeccable pronunciation.

"No, we're nudist," she snapped. Well, excuuuuse, me. "I'm not sure I know the difference," I conceded. She explained that when inside the park, one is required to be naked. Now I got it. It was the optional, not the clothing, that was the problem with the whole clothing optional thing. Who knew? I proceeded with what I thought was a perfectly reasonable follow-up question.

"Can I wear shoes?" She guffawed, muzzled the phone, and called out to some other nuditity-requiring linguiphile, "She wants to know if she can wear shoes!" For those as clueless as I, the answer is yes. I decided she could keep her shod-optional accommodations and found a different park.

When we pulled into Olive Dell Ranch Nudist Resort in Colton, California, I faced yet another dilemma: Usually, I headed to the office to check in while Tim stayed with the bus. Should I take my clothes off now? What if, in a variation on the universal nightmare, this was some God-awful joke and everyone was clothed but me? I was wearing earrings. Do I take them off, too? A valid question, methinks, even after the shoe debacle. I could have called on my cell phone and asked, but it seemed a mite like the shoes question and I didn't feel like being laughed at again just yet, especially as I was anticipating that reaction as soon as I stepped off the bus, anyway.

I kept my clothes on. The woman in her home office had not. (Note to self: This could very well be my dream job, for not only can one work at home, but not even have to get dressed.)

I soon discovered that none of my concerns mattered. In a nudist park, everything is stripped down, so to speak. As Tim observed, there's no macho, no pretense, no posturing. Your balls (and whether or not you have any) are out there for everyone to see. (Especially, as we would later discover, when partaking of naked karaoke.) But our favorite part of the entire experience had to be the maintenance guy who walks around nude except for his tool belt. An interesting effect, for every time he turned around, I nearly exclaimed, "Hey! You dropped your . . ." Oops.

If you'd like to see my video of the nudist RV park (now, I have your attention), please visit my website, www.QueenOfTheRoadTheBook.com and click on the travelogue link.

Doreen Orion is a psychiatrist and award-wining author. Her book, QUEEN OF THE ROAD: The True Tale of 47 States, 22,000 Miles, 200 Shoes, 2 Cats, 1 Poodle, a Husband, and a Bus With a Will of Its Own has just been published by Broadway Books, an imprint of Random House.

Joke of the Day (Edinburgh Evening News)

Joke of the Day

A notice on the gate of a nudist camp read: "If you have nothing on this evening come and join us".

Mrs C Smith, Assynt Bank, Penicuik

from: http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/comment/Joke-of-the-Day.4168263.jp

Caliente Tampa suspended by national association

from: http://blogs.tampabay.com/breakingnews/2008/06/nudists.html

Pasco nudist resort suspended by national association

LAND O'LAKES -- Caliente Resorts, often billed as the "Ritz-Carlton" of Pasco County nudist resorts, has been temporarily suspended from the American Association for Nude Recreation.

The suspension is over allegations that Caliente had been associating itself with swingers groups through third-party Web sites, said Doug Butler, president of the Caliente masters association, which represents the hundreds of homeowners and condo owners who live near the resort.

Carolyn Hawkins, spokeswoman for the American Association for Nude Recreation, declined to discuss the nature of the allegations. But she confirmed an investigation is under way and the association's board could vote to reinstate Caliente as soon as August.

The association is a prominent marketing organization that offers discounts to members. Its members agree, as part of the AANR charter, to be family-friendly.

Angye Fox, a spokeswoman for Caliente, said she would release a statement later this afternoon.

Caliente hosts monthly parties put on by a group called Aahz, which on its Web site describes its parties as "lifestyle oriented," a phrase often associated with swingers. A Web site featuring the swingers' lifestyle also highlights Caliente. And Fox will be a featured speaker at the upcoming Swingfest, the "world's largest swingers party and adult expo," held in Hollywood, Fla.

Butler, the homeowners president, said the parties or Web sites haven't resulted in any run-ins between the attendees and Caliente residents. "Behavior hasn't been a problem," he said. "It’s more of the Web site stuff that appears Caliente has an association with these kinds of groups."

Visitors to Caliente, along with other central Pasco nudist resorts, contribute a good chunk of tourist dollars to the Pasco economy each year.

Jodie Tillman, Times staff writer

NAC Action Alert - San Onofre State Beach, California

NAC Action Alert - San Onofre State Beach, California

This is an Action Alert from the Naturist Action Committee. NAC is asking for your immediate help in responding to a serious threat in the state of California.

NAC has learned that Ruth Coleman, Director of California's Department of Parks and Recreation, has abruptly revoked the application of the Department's Cahill Policy, as it applies to clothing-optional portions of San Onofre State Beach in San Diego County. Rangers have been told to begin "educating" beachgoers, starting June 1. The issuing of citations for nudity in the traditional clothing-optional area is to follow after 30 days.

****************************************************************
NATURIST ACTION COMMITTEE
ACTION ALERT
****************************************************************
http://www.naturistaction.org
****************************************************************
Copyright 2008 by the Naturist Action Committee, which is
responsible for its content. Permission is granted for the
posting, forwarding or redistribution of this message, provided
that it is reproduced in its entirety and without alteration.

DATE : May 21, 2008
SUBJECT: California: San Onofre State Beach
TO : Naturists and other concerned citizens

Dear Naturist,

This is an Action Alert from the Naturist Action Committee. NAC is asking for your immediate help in responding to a serious threat in the state of California.

NAC has learned that Ruth Coleman, Director of California's Department of Parks and Recreation, has abruptly revoked the application of the Department's Cahill Policy, as it applies to clothing-optional portions of San Onofre State Beach in San Diego County. Rangers have been told to begin "educating" beachgoers, starting June 1. The issuing of citations for nudity in the traditional clothing-optional area is to follow after 30 days.

IMPORTANT: NAC ASKS YOU TO CONTACT THE CA PARKS DIRECTOR

NAC urgently requests that you contact the Director of CA Parks to express your vigorous opposition to this disastrous change in policy. Detailed contact information is included below. However, so that your contact with the Director's office will have the greatest impact, please first take a couple of moments to learn about this situation.

THE CAHILL POLICY

Since 1979, the California Department of Parks and Recreation has operated under a policy put in place by then-DPR Director Russ Cahill. The policy came in the form of a memo issued to senior staff, explaining Cahill's decision not to designate clothing-optional areas in state parks. It also directed that citations for nudity in state parks would only be issued following a complaint and a failure to comply after a subsequent warning.

The policy has been in continuous effect since it was issued. It figured prominently in an important court case (California v. Bost) and was reaffirmed by CA Parks Deputy Director Jack Harrison in 1988.

Details of the Cahill memo, the Bost case and the Harrison letter are included on the NAC Web site, along with the text of California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 4322, which is the authority under which the Director proposes citing those who are nude at San Onofre.

WHY THE CHANGE NOW?

Naturists are always alert to the negative effect that illicit sexual activity can have on clothing-optional beaches. The regulars at many clothing-optional areas are quite effective at educating and discouraging those who would endanger the beach through sexual activities. At San Onofre, the problem has been diminished greatly in recent years, due in large part to those who really care about continued clothing-optional use of the beach.

The traditional clothing-optional beach at San Onofre is adjacent to Camp Pendleton, a Marine Corps training base. Although those who wander onto the military base are subject to arrest for trespass, the area is lightly patrolled. For those who seek sex in the open, the military beach has become the site of choice, and the razor wire field fencing at the property line has proved to be no obstacle. Naturists have shown reluctance to pursue the scofflaws onto the military base, and State Park Rangers have no authority there.

Recent retirements among those in the CA Parks management team responsible for San Onofre have brought replacements who are intolerant of clothing-optional recreation. Instead of encouraging and allowing the cooperation of naturists in policing illicit activity, Rich Haydon, the new manager who took over at the beginning of this month, has featured the nearby sexual activity in his reports, using it as an excuse to request permission to put an end to recreational nudity at the beach. Haydon has reportedly represented to his superiors that a majority of those who come to enjoy the clothing-optional beach are participants in illicit sex there.

The response from CA Parks headquarters in Sacramento was the revocation of the Cahill Policy as it applies to San Onofre. The Department is reportedly seeking to insulate itself from sexual harassment claims by park employees who have complained recently of a "sexually-charged atmosphere." That sort of complaint is customarily reserved for employer-employee or co-employee interaction, and it inappropriately ignores the fact that State Park rangers are peace officers with a duty to arrest those who engage in illicit activities.

IS IT ONLY SAN ONOFRE?

At the present time, only San Onofre State Beach is affected by this change in policy. The real possibility that the same thing may happen at other California state parks is, of course, an ominous specter.

WHAT IS NAC DOING?

The Naturist Action Committee recognizes the severity of this situation and has taken quick action.

1) NAC has submitted to CA Parks a formal request for an
administrative stay on implementation of this abrupt
change in policy.

2) NAC has made Public Records requests for documents pertaining
to this situation and the administrative action surrounding it.

3) NAC is retaining a lobbyist to assist and advise it in the
often-difficult area of regulatory procedure.

4) NAC has retained legal representation and has begun the process
that may ultimately result in civil action against the State of
California and the Department of Parks and Recreation.

5) From the onset of this situation, NAC has been working closely
with Friends of San Onofre Beach, the local user group. NAC and
FOSOB will be meeting with CA Parks officials this week on
this matter.

WHAT IS NAC ASKING YOU TO DO?

The Naturist Action Committee is asking you to contact the Director of CA Parks to express your concern and outrage over this turn of events. NAC is also asking you to attend a rally at San Onofre this coming Saturday.

1. CONTACT THE DIRECTOR

NAC is requesting ALL NATURISTS and other concerned individuals to contact the Director of Parks and Recreation, regardless of your place of residence.. California understands the importance of out-of-state visitors who come to enjoy the state's beaches, lakes and streams. The change in policy applies to those visitors, as well as to California residents. While all are encouraged to make their voices heard, the participation of Californians is, of course, particularly important.

Send a letter, a fax or an e-mail, or make a phone call.

Director Ruth Coleman
Dept. of Parks and Recreation
1416 Ninth Street,
Sacramento, CA 95816

E-MAIL: director@parks.ca.gov
DIRECTOR'S OFFICE TELEPHONE: (916) 653-8380
DIRECTOR'S OFFICE FAX: (916) 657-3903

NAC encourages you to send copies of your faxes and paper mail to:

NAC, P.O. Box 132, Oshkosh, WI 54903.

Send copies of your e-mails to:

sanonofre@naturistaction.org

When you write or call:

a) Be polite. You have a right to be outraged, but you will
achieve nothing positive by name-calling or rudeness.

b) Be known. Give your name and address. If you are a California
resident or a frequent visitor to California, point that out.

c) Be focused. Keep your call or your correspondence brief
and on target.

d) Be clear. Say that you OPPOSE the revocation of the Cahill
Policy at San Onofre State Beach in San Diego County.

Additional talking / writing points:

a) The precipitous change to public policy was done without
public input. That's not an acceptable way to administer
public resources.

b) The so-called "solution" does not address the real problem.

c) A recent public opinion poll (the 2006 NEF/Roper Poll,
commissioned by the Naturist Education Foundation and conducted
by the Roper polling organization) shows that a majority of
Americans favor the setting aside of public lands for
clothing-optional recreation.

d) In that same poll, an impressive 74 percent of Americans
believe that people who enjoy nude sunbathing should be able
to do so without interference from local officials as long as
they do so at a beach that is accepted for that purpose.

e) Rangers and park managers must NOT confuse simple nudity with
lewd behavior. Rangers presently have the authority to stop lewd
activity, and that authority does not require the abrupt
discontinuation of a long-standing policy that has worked well
for years and years.

2. ATTEND A RALLY AT SAN ONOFRE BEACH ON SATURDAY, MAY 24

In close cooperation with Friends of San Onofre, NAC urges you to attend a rally at the beach on Saturday, May 24, 2008. Bring your own handmade signs to carry, if you wish. NAC will be providing a number of "Nude Beaches YES!" signs for participants.

This is an important event for those who are outraged at the Director's action and who believe San Onofre Beach is worth saving! If you're close enough to make it, please show up around 10 AM. Parking is limited.

MORE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES

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

http://www.naturistaction.org

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

PLEASE HELP NAC TO CONTINUE HELPING NATURISTS!

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

After you've contacted the Director of CA Parks, please take a moment to send a donation to:

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
———————————————————–

Barenaked Beer

You're Kidding, Right?

via NaturistMusings by NaturistMusings on 5/6/08

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

  

Naked Life Changes

via NaturistMusings by NaturistMusings on 5/6/08

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.

NAC ACTION ALERT - Seattle, Washington

NAC ACTION ALERT - Seattle, Washington

via USAnudist.com by USAnudist on 4/29/08

Supporting local activists, NAC is asking you to participate in an online survey to indicate that you favor the inclusion of clothing-optional areas in the City of Seattle's consideration of future strategic plans.

**********************************************************************
NATURIST ACTION COMMITTEE
ACTION ALERT
**********************************************************************
http://www.naturistaction.org
**********************************************************************
Copyright 2008 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 : April 28, 2008
SUBJECT: Seattle, Washington
TO : All Naturists and others who are interested

Dear Naturist,

This is an Action Alert from the Naturist Action Committee concerning an important situation in Seattle, Washington.

A SPECIFIC OPPPORTUNITY

Supporting local activists, NAC is asking you to participate in an online survey to indicate that you favor the inclusion of clothing-optional areas in the City of Seattle's consideration of future strategic plans.

Please take a few minutes to participate in the online survey to show your support. The last day to complete the survey will be Wednesday, April 30, 2008.

ANYBODY may participate, including those who are not residents of Seattle. Take the survey at:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=vxDlUmH3_2f2KzWCHhiMd6kg_3d_3d

The survey is divided into six goals areas. The first four are most important to us. The last two are intended mainly for internal issues.

SUGGESTED COMMENTS

Goals I - IV are the most appropriate to fit in comments about wanting to have clothing-optional beaches. For your suggestions, you may wish to use the page referring to Goal II - "Provide Recreation and Learning Opportunities to Support Healthy & Diverse Communities."

Additionally, you may use the area entitled "other feedback" at the end of the survey. You may choose to make your survey comments anonymously, but NAC encourages you to lend strength to your suggestions by standing behind them with your name and address.

The survey invites you to respond to the question: "What, if anything, is missing from this goal area?" Use your own words to add comments. Here are some general suggestions:

1) Call for Parks & Recreation to help work with local groups
for the development of European-style clothing-optional beaches
that are properly signed along the 24 miles of available Seattle
Park & Recreation shoreline.

2) Quiet areas with a history of clothing-optional use on the
shoreline of Magnuson Park would be an excellent candidate for
clothing-optional use.

Use your own words. Suggest another beach area, or bring up other issues in which you are interested.

FURTHER IDEAS

You may also want to point out:

1) For years, several beaches in Seattle have included areas that
have been used quietly and informally for clothing-optional recreation.
However, despite a high demand and preference for such areas,
there are currently no areas officially set aside or properly
signed for such purposes.

2) Many major cities on the west coast have many popular clothing-
optional beach destinations close by and there is high demand in
Seattle for the same type of opportunities. (You might want to
mention Wreck Beach in Vancouver BC, Collins Beach and Rooster
Rock State Park near Portland and the several state-owned
clothing-optional beaches that exist along the California coast.)

3) Relate your own positive experiences of skinny dipping at Seattle
beaches. This could be casual use of a traditionally used area or
as a participant during a WNBR, Magnuson Beach Bares, BFC or other
organized event.

4) Seattle is a major body-positive town with large numbers of events
which have some social nudity aspects including many naked bike rides
(artistic and political), body painting parties, Magnuson Beach Bares,
Sun Lovers Under Gray Skies, Body Freedom Collaborative, and nude swims
at municipal pools (pioneered by NAC) There are several large social
nudity communities in the Greater Seattle area.

5) You may also want to direct attention to http://NudeBeachesYes.org
for more general info on the Web and/or to http://MagnusonBeach.org
for a local Seattle skinny-dipping group.

6) If you live outside the Seattle area you may wish to add
(probably under Goal II): You and your family enjoy traveling to the
West Coast/Pacific Northwest and visiting clothing-optional beaches
is a major activity that you look forward to when vacationing.

7) You expect that every civilized city will have clothing-optional beaches
for local use and as tourist attractions, and you don't understand why
Seattle, of all cities, has no officially-designated beach areas.

Perhaps these comments can go on the Goal III page OR at the very end of the survey under Section 7 "Overall and About You" under "other feedback"

COMMENTS FROM A LOCAL ACTIVIST

Local activist Daniel Johnson offers these important remarks, which NAC is including verbatim in this Action Alert.

"If you're going to talk the talk, you've got to walk the walk. Actions speak louder than words. If Parks really intends to do outreach and do relationship building, work with local non profits and support diversity, as is indicated in the SAP, it must recognize the steady call for clothing-optional beaches by locals and discontinue stalling against any real long-term change. It is time to move beyond the status quo and begin working with locals on creating partnerships for building healthy, family-friendly, clothing-optional beaches along with other forms of clothing-optional recreation in the City.

"Parks & Rec must find a way to properly staff clothing-free swims by local groups with lifeguards. The recent policy change which has resulted in canceling nude swims at Ballard Pool is discriminatory and ridiculous. By all conventional measures of being an adult, including the fact that 18 year olds are adult enough to go to war, marry and raise children, why are 18 year old lifeguards not considered adult enough to staff the swims? Parks & Recreation purposefully raised the age limit recently for lifeguards from 18 to 21 knowing that most lifeguards are younger and tend to move on after a few years as a lifeguard and that having no staff to fulfill the ridiculous new age requirement would force these events to be canceled."

BACKGROUND

Seattle Parks and Recreation is seeking input from the public regarding its Strategic Action Plan (SAP), an important document that will determine the direction of Seattle Parks & Recreation for the next five years by defining its priorities and values. Seattle Parks & Recreation was charged to create the SAP by the Mayor's Office and the Seattle City Council because they felt that Parks & Rec was not being held accountable to the public.

Info on the SAP is at

http://www.seattle.gov/PARKS/Publications/ParksActionPlan.htm

This is our big opportunity for our voices to be heard and counted!! They have to acknowledge our comments in a formal manner!

The SAP meetings and the online surveys are a great opportunities for us to convey to Seattle Parks & Recreation that we need opportunities for European-style clothing-optional recreation, especially designated clothing-optional beaches. It is absolutely critical that the skinny-dipping community be represented in the Strategic Action Plan.

Thanks for participating!

FURTHER INFORMATION

For additional local information, contact:

Daniel Johnson
(206) 369-2661 cell

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. Identifying and fighting bad local lawmaking is necessary, but it's expensive. To do its job, NAC relies entirely on the voluntary generosity of supporters like you. To donate to NAC, use the address below

NAC
PO Box 132
Oshkosh, WI 54903

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

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 Mark Storey - storey98@aol.com
Online Rep. Dennis Kirkpatrick - naturist@sunclad.com
—————————————————————

Desert Shadows will Re-Open as Desert Sun Resort

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

from NaturistMusings by NaturistMusings

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

Palm Springs resort with naked bridge set to reopen -- Desert Sun

from: http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080423/BUSINESS01/804230310/1006/news01

Palm Springs resort with naked bridge set to reopen

Ownership transition causes some confusion

Debra Gruszecki • The Desert Sun • April 23, 2008

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."

Group Seeks To Market Nudist Offerings -- Pasco Tribune

Group Seeks To Market Nudist Offerings

from: http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/apr/21/pa-group-seeks-to-market-nudist-offerings/?news-pasco

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 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.

We've discovered our friends are nudists (from Globe and Mail Online)

As naturists, we are probably unaware when our friends find out about our lifestyle.. The article below brings an interesting perspective.

from: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080328.wldamage28/BNStory/lifeFamily/home

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.

German nudist flight could be grounded

German nudist flight could be grounded

Published: 6 Apr 08 15:16 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/11127/

A planned and much publicized charter flight for nudists from the town of Erfurt to the Baltic Sea island of Usedom might not take place after all. The carrier appears to have gotten cold feet.

It was meant to be an occasion for nudists to let their hair down and take their pants off at 30,000 feet. Earlier this year, the Internet travel agency OssiUrlaub.de announced a textile-free flight to the Baltic Sea in July which grabbed the attention of the clothes-averse and media outlets from around the world.

The flight was sold out almost immediately.

But according to a newspaper report, the Ostfriesische Luftransport air carrier has gone back on their pledge to provide one of their airplanes for the flight.

"The carrier apparently got cold feet due to the intense public interest," Enrico Heß from OssiUrlaub.de told the Ostthüringer Zeitung newspaper.

A spokesperson for the air carrier, however, said they get hundreds of requests daily for charter flights and a special contract for a nudist trip was never negotiated.

DDP/The Local (news@thelocal.de)

The Naked Truth (from EdmontonJournal.com)

Paypal revoked FCN's right to service in late March, calling FCN's publication -- Going Natural -- pornography. The article below appeared in the Edmonton Journal on April 4.

copied from: http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/ed/story.html?id=a3770f76-22cc-4788-93f3-422fdbbe8b45&k=11530

The naked truth

Nudist mag or nudie mag? The difference between advocacy and pornography is all about context

Jennifer Parks

edmontonjournal.com

Saturday, April 5, 2008

CREDIT: Illustration by Nickelas Johnson Some kinda sick puppy, that.

PayPal's recent decision to revoke services to the Federation of Canadian Naturists reveals just how misunderstood nudists are in our society.

The e-commerce giant has cancelled its subscription processing contract with the FCN, claiming their club magazine takes nudity too far because it depicts naked minors.

"It's an incredibly ignorant stand that shows they haven't done their research as to what a naturist is," says Karen Grant, President of the Federation of Canadian Naturists.

"Child pornography is a very specific and sad part of our society right now. But this is not it. I'm a mother of two kids, and I wouldn't be a nudist if I felt my child were in any danger."

Like any special interest magazine, the FCN's publication, Going Natural, promotes a hobby or lifestyle, and provides information on holiday destinations, products and other tips relevant to that lifestyle.

"Yes, the magazine does carry some pictures of naked families, including children, but there's nothing pornographic or gratuitous about them. For some reason, in our culture the word 'nude' evokes sex. But is that the only reason we undress?" asks Grant, who lives in Edmonton.

PayPal says the content of the group's magazine is "obscene" and violates their acceptable user policy, according to e-mails sent by PayPal to FCN.

"PayPal prohibits all account holders from buying or selling any sexually oriented goods or services involving minors or made to appear to involve minors," says PayPal spokesperson Jamie Patrichio.

"While we generally do allow nudist websites to accept payments with PayPal, when those sites feature children, we will typically take a stricter approach."

If you've ever skinny-dipped or lounged around at home in the buff, there's something to be said for letting it all hang out. As adults, many of us worry that our parts are imperfect: too big, too small, too stretched or too flabby. But young kids haven't yet learned to judge themselves so harshly. Intuitively, they know that being naked is perfectly natural. They take to it like fish to water, and embrace the freedom of being in their own skin, which is all too often lost as one grows up.

That is why, as a society, we celebrate childlike innocence, and why we protect it tooth-and-nail from the ugly realities in life, like pedophiles or child predators. But is PayPal taking things too far?

While one long-time member of a local nudist association applauds our society's desire to guard children against exploitation, he says this is a case of misplaced concern.

"I don't know if PayPal did it out of political correctness, but someone thought, 'adults and kids -- nude? Uh-oh. We don't want to be associated with that.' There will always be people who equate sex with nudity. No point in trying to explain your lifestyle to the closed-minded," says Perry, 48, a two-decade member of Helios Association in Tofield, Alberta.

"Lust," he adds, "is in the eye of the beholder, not in a naked child at play."

If so, then society's prurience can be summed up in a Google search for the words "naturism" or "nudist," which quickly inundates a person with pop-up windows hawking every nude sexual fantasy imaginable.

And it probably doesn't help that a magazine like Going Natural is the easiest legal access a pedophile has to nude material. But why should wholesome and family-oriented groups like FCN have to pay the price for others' ignorance or perversions?

"It's a fine line, what's pornographic or not," says Patrichio. "PayPal is erring on the side of caution. Whenever there are children involved, we want to be stricter with our policies."

Alberta Film Classification Board director Paul Pearson says there are no hard and fast rules about discerning sexual content in his line of work.

"We ask why there's nudity in a film. Is it gratuitous, or integral to the story line? Is it sexual or non-sexual nudity -- because there is a difference," says Pearson. "It's all about context."

An honest look at context is what's missing from PayPal's assessment.

"Generally, naturism is typically non-sexual nudity," concludes Pearson. "And non-sexual nudity tends not to be rated as high as sexual nudity."

So why isn't PayPal making that distinction, wonders Ryan, 23, a born-and-raised nudist.

He says he wouldn't trade his childhood days of skin-bare freedom at the Helios nudist club for anything.

"It was just a place to hang out and meet other kids my age, play games and swim," he says. "We just happened to be naked a lot of the time."

You can't compare their brand of nakedness to porn at all, he adds.

"It's not related. We're just people who don't like tan lines. It's about comfort, and being comfortable in your own skin," says Ryan. "As kids, nudism taught us to be ourselves and not pass judgment on others. It was a great way to grow up."

The PayPal vs. nudists case evokes the tale of the psychoanalyst whose patient only saw sexual images in his ink blot tests.

"What do you see?" asks the doctor, holding up a card. "I see a naked girl," says the patient. Displaying another ink blot, the doctor asks, "What do you see in this one?" "I see a naked girl eating ice cream," replies the patient. Flashing a third card, the doctor asks, "And now, what do you see?" To which the patient replies, "I see a naked girl on a bike."

"Why are you such a pervert?" condemns the doctor. "What do you mean?" responds the puzzled patient. "You're the one with all the dirty pictures."

The naked truth, in this case, has less to do with skin-bare minors than with fear and blame over our lost innocence. FCN is merely a scapegoat for society's anger at those who reduce our children to the objects of sexual enjoyment. And PayPal is pointing their finger at the wrong target.

© Edmonton Journal 2008

Del Ray Beach, FL: Advocates say nude beach would be a boon

from the Palm Beach Post Online

Advocates say nude beach would be a boon

By Pilar Ulibarri de Rivera
Neighborhood Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Some people like to fish, others like to ride bicycles or read books. Dave Armstrong likes to lie out in the sun naked. To Armstrong, 43, sunbathing nude is a hobby. It's something the Delray Beach resident enjoys and he doesn't see anything wrong with it.

But city officials don't agree. At the annual citizens' roundtable meeting with city officials earlier this year, Armstrong proposed designating the northern end of the public beach, which is unguarded and sparse on visitors, as "clothing-optional."

It would be designated by signs reading: "You may encounter nude sunbathers" and "You are leaving a clothing-optional area," he proposed.

"They giggled when I brought it up," Armstrong said.

He said he told them it wasn't professional to laugh at one of their residents. After all, it was a public forum for people to make suggestions of things they would like their local government to consider.

Perhaps making the suggestion while others were talking about neighborhood safety and trash pickup wasn't the best timing. But Armstrong is not going to give up, even though City Manager David Harden said the commissioners he has spoke to about the suggestion have "absolutely no interest" in it.

Armstrong is gathering signatures on a petition and has enlisted the help of Richard Mason, one of the founders of Haulover Beach in Miami-Dade County. Established 17 years ago, Haulover is Florida's most popular clothing-optional stretch of sand.

Mason is president of South Florida Free Beach/Florida Naturist Association, a nonprofit established in 1981 that's committed to "representing naturism and nude recreation" to government, business and civic leaders.

Mason said that 25 or 30 years ago there was so much remote beach that people could skinny-dip without notice.

"As the coastline got gobbled up by condominiums and hotels, we were driven out," he said. "With the lack of remote areas, the only solution was to create designated areas, just like there are designated areas for tennis, baseball or golf."

Mason said he, his wife, Shirley, and other nudists did research and found that in 1974 the Florida Supreme Court ruled that "mere nudity, with the absence of lewd and lascivious behavior, was not indecent exposure." In other words, if there was no public sexual behavior involved, it was not unlawful, according to the court.

"Let's face it, you can be lewd and lascivious and still fully clothed," Mason said.

Armstrong said he didn't realize his rights when he was arrested on the beach in Delray in 2006 for sunbathing nude. He pleaded no contest and was ordered to do 10 hours of community service cleaning up the beach. He's still fighting the decision.

"The truth is when you talk to people about 'rights' they don't care to listen," Mason said. "But when you talk to them about money, that's a different story."

The numbers at Haulover speak for themselves, Mason said. The beach has about 1.4 million visitors a year and "it grows every year," he said. About 60 percent of the visitors are from outside Miami-Dade County, something Mason said that his organization discovered during skin cancer screenings on the beach. Many of them are from Europe and Canada.

The county's tourism board estimates that tourists spend $245 a day on hotel rooms, restaurants and shopping when visiting the county.

"That's an economic impact of over $200 million a year from the number of people that are attracted to Haulover," said Mason, adding that the quarter-mile stretch of beach, which he said was a haven for criminals before it was a nude beach, is now the safest and cleanest in the county.

The Palm Beach County Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates that the average tourist spends about $200 a day in Palm Beach County.

Mason said it would take only a few phone calls to police and officials in Miami-Dade County and cities such as upscale Bal Harbour, for Delray officials to see the monetary potential of a nude beach.

"If Delray Beach is seeking to bring new money to its economy, this would be a good way to attract people from all over the world," Mason said. "And they wouldn't even need to spend any money to do it. All they would need is two signs and the naturists would pay for that."

Helen Mirren Praised by Naturist Society

from: Contact Music

HELEN MIRREN - HELEN MIRREN PRAISED BY NATURIST SOCIETY

Caption: HELEN MIRREN's on and off screen antics have seen her rewarded for her naturist...

Click for the Helen Mirren Gallery

HELEN MIRREN's on and off screen antics have seen her rewarded for her naturist tendencies.

The actress, whose credits include ELIZABETH I and GOSFORD PARK, has bared all in the hit movie CALENDER GIRLS and is also reportedly a fan of sunbathing in the buff at home, reports the Mirror.

The USA Naturist Society has presented the 62-year-old with its top showbiz personality for "promoting healthy nudity" accolade.

Nicky Hoffman, a member of the society, told the publication: "Nude is not lewd, it is beautiful. Helen is actually a naturist and goes nude sunbathing."

Other well-known names praised for their attitude towards naturism include KYRA SEDGEWICK who in the past has admitted sunbathing in the nude.

LOST star MATTHEW FOX rounded off the top three after it was revealed that he had been swimming naked in Hawaii.

Hollywood heartthrobs MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY and BRAD PITT also held spots among the top ten, for playing the bongos naked and hitting the beach naked, respectively.

Meanwhile, HELEN MIRREN recently came second in a poll conducted by FX TV to find the 'Queen of Nip and Tuck'.

The actress, who is rumoured to have had a subtle face lift, came second only to SHARON OSBOURNE.



26/03/2008 10:40:43

Related articles:
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/a92286/helen-mirren-bags-us-naturist-award.html
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/entertainment-news/2008/03/26/helen-mirren-wins-nudity-award-86908-20362999/
http://www.pr-inside.com/mirren-scoops-best-nude-gong-r503552.htm
http://www.mirror.co.uk/showbiz/2008/03/26/helen-mirren-wins-award-from-usa-naturist-society-89520-20362948/

Headline: Naturist Society Picks TV's Top Nudes

from: http://thebiz.fancast.com/2008/03/exclusive_naturist_society_pic_2.html

Exclusive: Naturist Society Picks TV's Top Nudes

Go figure, the human body -- the one thing all of us have in common -- is causing a stir in the TV world again. On one end of the spectrum, the Parents Television Council is angry with NBC after the finale of the series Las Vegas included silhouettes of three bare women, and on the other end Lifetime’s self-esteem boosting How To Look Good Naked was the highest-rated unscripted series in that network’s history when it debuted last January. (Watch clips on Fancast.) To nudity expert Nicky Hoffman, spokesperson for The Naturist Society, a clothing-optional organization based in Oshkosh, WI, the fuss is much ado about nothing. “We do not believe non-sexual nudity is offensive,” she says of the NBC issue. “But I don’t want to see people getting undressed and having sex.” As for HTLGN, she says, “I have mixed emotions about it. Our premise is that everybody looks good naked. Why do you have to make people look good?”

So who in the eyes of Hoffman is getting it right? What shows have included nudity in a manner the Naturist Society approves as tasteful and promoting healthy, appropriate nakedness? Hoffman provided Fancast with relevant top 10 lists. But first her credentials. The 59-year-old Midwesterner has been a member of the Naturist Society since 1985, and before that, she says, “I used to come home from work and the first thing I’d do was take off my clothes.” Philosophically, she believes in “promoting nudity on appropriate public lands, like nude beaches and resorts.” But she makes it clear that “nude is not lewd.” What nude is, she says, is “beautiful.”

The Naturist Society, which publishes a guidebook of the 1000 best places to get naked, has 20,000+ card-carrying members. (Yes, we asked where they carry their cards if they aren’t wearing any clothes, and the answer is in tote bags, wrist wallets, and hats featuring Velcro pockets, all of which are sold in the Skinny Dipper Store). But “there are a lot more people who are naturists than we have members,” says Hoffman. “In a Roper poll done in 2006, 25 percent said they’ve gone skinny dipping or nude sunbathing in mixed company. That works out to about 55 million people. In 1983, it was only percent.”

Given that stat, you’d think everyone would know how to get naked. But apparently not -- at least judging by the popularity of the Carson Kressley-hosted series How To Look Good Naked. Clips of HTLGN have proven very popular on Fancast. That itself inspired a question that has yet to be addressed by Kressley on the series: What’s the best way to watch TV while naked?

“Lay on your bed,” says Hoffman. “That’s the most comfortable way to watch TV naked. But if you’re not in bed, sit on a towel. Whether you’re at someone else’s home or your own, always sit on a towel. That’s naturist 101. Then all you have to do is put your feet up and get comfy.”

What about watching TV online naked (an issue for Fancast users)? “The same rules apply,” says Hoffman. “Unless you’re in an office. Nudity in the workplace is inappropriate.” Even at the Naturist Society? That question elicits a laugh from Hoffman. “No, we wear clothes here. We have people come in for appointments.”

Hoffman says she’s a fan of Kressley, whom, she notes, has yet to doff his clothes. However, according to her, the Naturist Society includes “a number of members who are celebrities.” Such as? “They’ve requested privacy,” she says. Nonetheless, here is Naturist Society’s list of the top 10 celebrity nudists. It’s followed by their list of top 10 TV series that have also furthered the issue.

Top 10 Celebrites Who’ve Promoted Healthy Nudity:

1. Helen Mirren: “She’s actually a naturist and goes nude sunbathing.”
2. Kyra Sedgwick: “Years ago, she said she sunbathed nude.”
3. Matthew Fox: “He swims nude in Hawaii and calls himself a naturist.”
4. Alanis Morissette: “She did a video for a song in which she was nude and her hair was draped around her breasts. I heard she has no problem walking around the set naked.”
5. Lindsay Lohan: “There was a shock factor when she posed recently as Marilyn Monroe, but she promoted a beautiful body in an artful, non-sexual manner.”
6. Matthew McConaughey: “He played bongos nude at home. That puts him in our Hall of Fame. He’s a free spirit.”
7. Kevin Bacon: “From past performances, he doesn’t appear to have any problem with appearing nude.”
8. Kate Hudson: “Nudity was never a big thing in their home; she has a very healthy attitude toward the human body.”
9. Elle McPherson: “She’s originally from Australia, where nude beaches are common, and she has a healthy attitude about the nude body.”
10. Brad Pitt: “Years ago he was photographed sunbathing nude. Good for him, shame on the paparazzi.”

Top 10 TV Series That Have Promoted Healthy Nudity:

1. National Geographic: “A lot of people saw their first naked bodies thanks to these shows. They always do a good job of showing non-sexualized nudity.”
2. Taboo: “A National Geographic production, this show looks at taboo rituals and traditions and regularly shows people nude, but always educationally.”
3. NYPD Blue: “They’ve always show backsides. Maybe they’ve done it a little on the titillating side, but there’s nothing overt or offensive about a butt or a breast.”
4. Monk: “Last season, in a show they did a show featuring a murder on a nude beach, it came out that Monk’s phobias about nudity stemmed from his being born naked. Hilarious.”
5. Surreal Life: “Several seasons ago, they actually went to the Desert Shadows naturist resort in California. While none of the celebrities got naked, they did play a volleyball game against the nudists, and except for Tammy Faye Baker, the stars were okay with it.”
6. The Naked News: “It’s a Toronto-based news show in which the newscasters appear in the nude.”
7. The Simpsons: “Many episodes feature top-free and total nudity.”
8. The Tonight Show With Jay Leno: “Jay often features clips borrowed from the Naturist Society, including on clip from the Eastern Naturist gathering featuring the world’s largest nude Frisbee toss.”
9. Malcolm In The Middle: “In a 2005 episode, Malcolm and his brother decide to attend the Burning Man festival in the desert, and there’s brief nudity.”
10. Chicago Hope: “They showed the breast of a young girl after reconstructive surgery. Nobody complained. Goes to show you that non-sexualized nudity can be in good taste.”

Posted on March 4, 2008 7:51 PM | Permalink