Author: karen

IMHO (in my humble opinion)

 

by Karen Lahey
I’ve got an idea on how we can better understand one another and be happier. We would all be better off if we assume the best of intentions from our fellows. Much of the time, when we hear something that doesn’t make sense, we immediately assume that it has been decided with some mean or manipulative reason. We don’t wait to get the facts. However, if we don’t jump to conclusions, we can realize that maybe we don’t know everything about the situation. Perhaps there are good reasons for such decisions. Maybe we don’t really understand the situation. Maybe we could wait to get answers to our questions. We can take time to confirm our assumptions. And sometimes we may just need to trust since there is a valid reason why our question shouldn’t be answered. One way to slow down our jump to a conclusion is to take the time to think of ways that the decision or action might make sense. As Alan Alda said, “Begin challenging your assumptions. Your assumptions are the windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in awhile or the light won’t come in.” Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/assumptions.html#VxIMzleDfj65sXaH.99

Now I just need to remember to not jump to conclusions when someone else has jumped to a conclusion that I don’t agree with.

Related Images:

What are you thankful for?

 

Thanksgiving is either in a few weeks (if you live in the US) or it was a few weeks ago (if you live in Canada). So here’s the question: As a nudist, what are you thankful for? Send your answers to nudenews@aanr-nw.org with a note whether you want to be identified or not. They will be compiled in the Northwest Nude News sent out on US Thanksgiving. Let’s see how many different things we can be thankful for. As the editor, I will be thankful for help in writing copy for this newsletter.

Related Images:

Nude Showing of Tiny Tim is Dead is Cancelled

 

For the last few weeks ago, we have been trying to get enough people to commit so that we could buy out the house and see Tiny Tim is Dead in the nude.  To do this, we would have needed to buy 87 tickets.  Less than 20 people showed interest, so we will not be able to buy out the theater.  Even having to wear clothes, I think it will be a fun outing and plan to go.  However, we will have to keep our clothes on.  The play will be performed at Hugo House on Capitol Hill in Seattle.  It runs from December 5th – December 20th.  More information is available at http://playwrights-theatre.org/?page_id=58.

Related Images:

Is Sunlight Good for You?

 

According to Dr. Richard Weller, a dermatologist in Edinburgh, sunlight could be good for your heart. In addition to supplying Vitamin D, sunlight causes the release of nitrous oxide on the skin, which benefits blood pressure and the cardiovascular system. You can watch Dr. Weller at http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_weller_could_the_sun_be_good_for_your_heart . And an article in the Scottish Express http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/526739/Sunlight-key-fighting-diabetes-Scots-scientists-reveal , that references Dr. Weller, suggests that experiments also show the benefits of moderate exposure to sun light as fighting obesity and Type 2 Diabetes. But skin cancer can kill, so stay in the sun in moderation.

Related Images:

AANR News

 

Bill Schroer is no longer employed by AANR as Executive Director. We wish him well.

AANR to Hold Special Fall Meeting November 15th.

by Mike Parker excerpted from The WellSpring (Hidden Springs Newsletter)
New AANR President Beverly Price has scheduled a special AANR board meeting to review and vote on the appointed advisory groups’ feedback on the items that were proposed at the convention this past summer. Some of the items were controversial at the time of proposal, most were not.

Board members will fly in on Saturday to Las Vegas, meet all day Saturday and fly out on Sunday. A low cost hotel is being used and board members are only being reimbursed for the lowest cost air flight available. There is no meal reimbursement, as is the AANR rule for all AANR meetings. Las Vegas was chosen due to low cost airfares and lodging.

Some of the items to be addressed are:

  1. The AANR building – whether to repair or sell and move the organization’s headquarters to a better and safer area.
  2. Simplifying dues structures – the regional presidents are all on this committee.
  3. A proposed name change – is one needed? If so, to what?
  4. Whether to reinstitute a new nudist trade association similar to the closed Trade Association For Nude Recreation (TANR).
  5. The “Carver Model” – whether to change the model of governance of the association to a different type of model as proposed by John Carver, author of the book “Boards That Make A Difference”. It would allow, among other items, looser control of the Executive Director by the board.
  6. Connecting with “adult” or “lifestyle” clubs and a proposed new rating system for nudist clubs. This is the one proposal that has garnered a lot of discussion and feedback. As AANR is now a family-oriented organization, any association with other types of organizations as noted in the first sentence would definitely change the principles and type of organization AANR is. There was a great deal of discussion of this particular item at the AANR-NW fall board meeting in September. Some consider this a “third rail” issue that could destroy AANR.

Related Images:

Tiny Tim is Dead in the All Together

 

A few weeks ago, we announced the availability of a nude showing of the next Playwright’s Theater Production. We have picked Friday, Dec 12th as the day for this outing. If you want to be able to be part of this fun time, you need to let us know ASAP. We need to make a decision about whether to go ahead and buy out the theater. We will give it a few more days, but next week we will decide to cancel the nude showing if there aren’t enough people willing to commit to buying a ticket. To make sure you that we have the chance for this fun time and to get one of the seats, reserve a ticket NOW by emailing president@aanr-nw.org . The play will be performed at Hugo House on Capitol Hill in Seattle. This is first come, first serve.

The production is “Tiny Tim is Dead”. The play doesn’t address nudism, but it is a great venue for us to get together for a nude event. The synopsis of the play is:

On a frigid Christmas Eve amidst cardboard shelters and trashcan hearths, five adults and a mute boy band together and give the only gift they can offer. “A Christmas Carol,” as enacted by this ragtag group of vagrants who themselves might ask only for a little heat, leftover food and mittens. This irregular holiday tale is wickedly amusing and delicately poignant as it takes a wry and ironic look at a group of homeless people who form an unconventional family, related not by race, class or education, but by the same circumstances life has found them.

Related Images:

Revenge Porn Bills

 

Revenge Porn is the posting of sexually explicit photos on the internet without the permission of all persons in the photo. This posting is often used to get even with ex partners after a breakup. Doing this is very damaging to the victim and should be stopped.

Laws across the country as well as the rest of the world are being written to prevent this sort of abuse. As can happen, these laws can have unintended consequences. They can be written so that even a nude non sexual picture is considered a violation.

Examples of what is happening in the United States can be seen on the NCSL (National Conference of State Legislatures) website
http://www.ncsl.org/research/telecommunications-and-information-technology/state-revenge-porn-legislation.aspx

It is very important that we keep watch on legislation in our areas. If we find out early enough, we can take steps to make sure that the wording of the law doesn’t negatively impact innocent nudists. This is just one example of the type of legislation that we have to keep watch on.

Here is an article about how these laws can be overbroad. http://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahjeong/2014/09/23/is-arizonas-revenge-porn-law-overbroad/
and one where naturists are concerned about Britain’s Revenge Porn Law http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/569828/20141017/brit-naturists-oppose-revenge-porn-bill.htm#.VEnxEPnF-So.

If you see anything of concern, please send information to gat-chair@aanr-nw.org. And copy nudenews@aanr-nw.org so that we can keep our readers up-to-date.

Related Images:

Persistent Prattlings

 

by Bob Campbell

While I was rummaging around in my alleged mind thinking about what subject I would discuss in this column, a recent piece by New York Times columnist David Brooks caught my attention. He wrote about the revulsion we all experienced over the beheading of two American journalists by Islamic terrorists.
In discussing this revulsion Brooks wrote, “The revulsion aroused by beheading is mostly a moral revulsion. A beheading feels like a defilement. It’s not just an injury or a crime. It is an indignity. A beheading is more like rape, castration or cannibalism. It is a defacement of something sacred that should be inviolable. But what is this sacred thing that is being violated? Well, the human body is sacred.”
The writer has hit upon something most nudists have known all along. He goes on by saying, “Most of us understand, even if we don’t think about it, or have a vocabulary to talk about it these days, that the human body is not just a piece of meat or a bunch of neurons and cells. The human body has a different moral status than a cow’s body or a piece of broccoli.”
He adds, “We’re repulsed by a beheading because the body has spiritual essence. The human head and body don’t just live and pass along genes. They paint, make ethical judgments, savor the beauty of a sunset and experience the transcendent. The body is material but surpasses the material. It’s spiritualized matter.”
Brooks’ column was right on target in his discussion of the human body. It’s no wonder the Islamic world is so heavily clothed. They don’t truly appreciate the magnificence of the wonderful human body. Hopefully most nudists do have that appreciation.
I do not take the subject of terrorist beheadings lightly. They are wrong. They are despicable. The perpetrators deserve to be punished similarly. And nudists should better appreciate just what we have in this country – the freedom to be nude.

Related Images:

Theater in the Nude

 

Last week, we announced the availibiliy of a nude showing of the next Playwright’s Theater Production. Since no one has shown a preference for a given night, We will target Friday, Dec 12, 2014. It avoids various activities at local clubs on the Saturday evening, but is still on a weekend. Only 87 seats are available and some have already been spoken for. The play will be performed at Hugo House on Capitol Hill in Seattle. To make sure you get one of the seats, reserve a ticket by emailing president@aanr-nw.org . This is first come, first serve.

This production is “Tiny Tim is Dead”. The play doesn’t address nudism, but it is a great venue for us to get together for a nude event. The synopsis of the play is:

On a frigid Christmas Eve amidst cardboard shelters and trashcan hearths, five adults and a mute boy band together and give the only gift they can offer. “A Christmas Carol,” as enacted by this ragtag group of vagrants who themselves might ask only for a little heat, leftover food and mittens. This irregular holiday tale is wickedly amusing and delicately poignant as it takes a wry and ironic look at a group of homeless people who form an unconventional family, related not by race, class or education, but by the same circumstances life has found them.

Related Images:

Partial Solar Eclipse – Update

 

Last week we reported on the partial solar eclipse coming up next Thursday afternoon, 10/23, including the viewing party at Sun Meadow.  For solar eclipses, the times and percent of totality are very location specific.  The times we listed were about 20 minutes off for Sun Meadow, so here are correct times, and times for other areas in the region.  Remember, even during a partial eclipse, the sun is far too bright to look at without proper filters.
 

  Start Time Max Coverage Time End Time % of the sun covered
Sun Meadow: 1:44 3:08 4:25 56%.
Seattle: 1:35 3:00 4:20 54%
Portland 1:37 3:03 4:22 51%
Eugene 1:38 3:04 4:24 49%
Spokane 1:43 3:07 4:24 56%
Boise 1:52 3:15 4:31 51%
Missoula 1:50 3:13 4:29 56%

Related Images: