Rain and Cold Can't Dampen Spirit Fifteen brave volunteers in bright yellow T-shirts gathered to help clean up the beach at the Assateague Beach Coastal Day Cleanup on Saturday, September 16, 2006. Despite the rain and cold, participants showed how much nudists care about this wonderful beach area with a spirit of camaraderie and community service that couldn't be dampened by bad weather. Find out how you can get involved in similar beach cleanups in your area or other community activities that support the nudist lifestyle. 
Battle of the Buck Nekkids One of the least known but one of the more interesting battles during the Civil War happened at Boon's Mill Pond, North Carolina on July 28, 1863, reports AAA's GO Magazine. The magazine says that a battle in North Carolina, was not unusual, but this particular battle was fought in the nude and called the "Battle of the Buck Nekkids." This small battle saved Robert E. Lee's exhausted Army of Northern Virginia on their way back from Gettysburg. The Battle of the Buck Nekkids began when the Confederates were skinny-dipping in the pond to escape the sweltering July heat. While swimming, the men heard their commander shout and saw Yankee cavalry bearing down on them. They didn't take the time to put their clothes back on before grabbing their weapons to resist enemy attack. After a few hours, the Yankees retreated after determining that the only way through the swampy area to was to head straight into Confederate fire. Today, the mill pond serves as a commemoration of the skirmish with a Civil War Trails sign describing the action of the day. Arbus Film Premieres An upcoming film about the life of photographer Diane Arbus, Fur, premiered at the Telluride Film Festival this year. Arbus is best known for capturing the everyday lives of people as well as those on the margins of society. Even after her suicide in 1971, her acclaimed photographs have caused her to be regarded as one of the most revered photographers of the 20th century. Retrospectives of her work have been shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and been auctioned at Sotheby's. Many of Arbus's photographs were taken at nudist camps in the early 1960s. Her famous "A Young Waitress at a Nudist Camp, N.J., 1963" was taken at Sunshine Park, a preserve run by the American Sunbathing Association (now AANR) near the township of May's Landing. Arbus was a frequent visitor to nudist camps and frequently went nude with her subjects. One of her most acclaimed nudist portraits is "Retired Man and his wife at home in a nudist camp one morning, New Jersey, 1963." The photograph is considered a masterpiece in its use of natural lighting and arranged setting.Legend has it that the man and wife in the photograph requested that Arbus get nude before they allowed her to photograph them, which she did. Fur stars Academy Award-winning actress Nicole Kidman as Arbus and Robert Downey, Jr. as the man who introduced her to the majority of her subjects and a new way of life, causing her to reject the wealthy lifestyle she was born into. The film begins and ends in a nudist camp.Read the Variety review. Nudity OK in the UK A recent survey by propertyfinder.com reveals the state of nudity in the UK. Almost 20% of respondents reported going nude, with those living in metropolitan areas the most likely. When asked if they would be put off buying a house next door to nudists, a whopping 50% said they wouldn't mind at all, 34% said they wouldn't mind if their neighbors kept their nudity to themselves; only 16% said they would refuse to buy a home under those circumstances. Read more at Nude Neighbors.  |
