Hiking - Part 80

Black Combe, Cumbria, England

Above is A.J. in the hilly Lake District in Cumbria, northwestern England.  He decided to hike naked up to the top of Black Combe, for a distance of 2.6 miles and an elevation gain of 1880 feet.

Starting the hike.

Continuing up the hill.

Climbing up.

Near the top.  A.J.'s photos make the trail look worse than it is.  There is a trail all the way to the top.  The trail is not well marked in places, but it does not require climbing over rocks.

At the trig at the summit.  A trig is a triangulation station that was used for surveying before GPS became available.

The view from the top.  That's the Irish Sea to the west.

Events - Part 81

Elimination of the Penny

The U.S. government announced that it will no longer produce pennies.  The last pennies were minted in November, 2025.

Above, Remi Chester using pennies in an unconventional way.

It is expected that businesses will round prices to the nearest nickel.

Above, a sculpture made out of thousands of pennies.

Eventually, the only people possessing pennies will be coin collectors, like the guy above.

What next?  Will we reach the point where the dollar bill will also become obsolete?  Not any time soon, but my theory is that at some point in the future, neither coins nor paper money will be used, because all monetary transactions will be electronic.

We might not even use credit cards – perhaps people will poke their finger into a receptacle that reads their fingerprint and pays the bill.  OK, probably not that receptacle.

People will look back at us as primitive for using coins and cash.

But for now, some of us will remember the penny with nostalgia.

Weighing In - Part 81

Andrew Cancio

Andrew Cancio is an American boxer born in 1988.  On Sept. 17, 2016, he fought against Joseph Diaz in Arlington, Texas for the WBC featherweight title.  While he was weighing in, a slight mishap occurred with the modesty cloth (above).

A slowed-down replay, above, shows us that Cancio actually caused the incident when, after raising his fist in triumph after weighing under the limit, he brought down his arm and accidentally hit the edge of the cloth.  Well, that's what makes things interesting.

Cancio lost this fight, but later won the WBA super featherweight title in 2019.  His overall record is 21 wins and 5 losses.

Poem of the Day - Part 81

When I Heard at the Close of the Day
by Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman (1819-1892) was an American poet most famous for his poetry collection Leaves of Grass and the poems he wrote after Lincoln was assassinated: O Captain! My Captain! and When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd.

Whitman was almost certainly gay.  Leaves of Grass was criticized for wording that implies homosexuality in some of the poems.  Some contemporary critics called the work obscene, but others, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, praised it.

This poem, published in Leaves of Grass (1860), is about how becoming famous didn't make him happy, but his male lover coming and sleeping with him did.  If that's not gay, I don't know what is.

When I heard at the close of the day how my name had been receiv’d with plaudits in the capitol, still it was not a happy night for me that follow’d, 

And else when I carous’d, or when my plans were accomplish’d, still I was not happy, 

(Note: this sketch depicts Walt Whitman in 1854, slightly before Leaves of Grass.)

But the day when I rose at dawn from the bed of perfect health, refresh’d, singing, inhaling the ripe breath of autumn, 

When I saw the full moon in the west grow pale and disappear in the morning light, 

When I wander’d alone over the beach, and undressing bathed, laughing with the cool waters, and saw the sun rise, 

And when I thought how my dear friend my lover was on his way coming, O then I was happy, 

O then each breath tasted sweeter, and all that day my food nourish’d me more, and the beautiful day pass’d well, 

And the next came with equal joy, and with the next at evening came my friend,

And that night while all was still I heard the waters roll slowly continually up the shores, 

I heard the hissing rustle of the liquid and sands as directed to me whispering to congratulate me, 

For the one I love most lay sleeping by me under the same cover in the cool night, 

In the stillness in the autumn moonbeams his face was inclined toward me, 

And his arm lay lightly around my breast – and that night I was happy.

*          *          *

The photographs above, taken by Thomas Eakins c. 1883, are titled Naked Series: Old Man.  The name of the man was not given, but some people think the model was Walt Whitman, based on the striking resemblance to other photos of Whitman's face in old age.

Artists - Part 84

Carlo Maria Mariani

Carlo Maria Mariani (1931-2021) was an Italian painter.  Above, a self-portrait.  I think he was commenting on his style being between the ancient classical style and unrealistic 20th century art.

Some critics denounced his "postmodern" style, but at least one described it as "an extraordinarily complex, beautifully executed attempt to make classical drawing and painting meaningful again."

His style was very realistic, not at all abstract.  Sometimes his subjects are very traditional; sometimes they are puzzling.  Above, Ganimed (Ganymede), 1978, a traditional depiction of the cup-bearer and male lover of the god Zeus, who here takes the form of an eagle, which is also traditional.

Not all of Mariani's paintings feature nude males, but many of them do.  Sophrosyne, 1982, is named for the Greek concept of ideal character, including temperance, moderation, and self-control.

Lubricus Nudus Nocturnus, 1982.  The title means "Slippery Naked Night" in Latin.  This composition features a satyr with an erection and a sleeping character, possibly the Greek god Hermaphroditus, who had both female breasts and male genitals.

Dionysus, 1985, depicts the Greek god.  Mariani oddly shows him with a lion's paw.  Dionysus was associated with lions, but not just a paw, and he was also associated with snakes.

Ecco, sei tu eletto (Behold, you have been elected), 1985.  I don't know what Mariani was depicting, but it could almost be a comment on our current divisive elections. "You have been elected – now what?"

La nascita del pensiero (The birth of thought), 1985.  The large figure is holding an artist's paintbrush.  Is this about how the artist creates his works out of nothing but a thought?

Hypnos, undated, was the Greek god of sleep.

We end with Capriccio, 2000, showing a figure with what look like multiple Pinocchios.

National Hugging Day 2026

National Hugging Day

Today, January 21, is National Hugging Day.

It was created in 1986 by Kevin Zaborny, a juvenile delinquent treatment specialist at Boysville in Mt. Morris, Michigan, as a day devoted to public displays of affection.  He chose January 21 because it's roughly midway between Christmas and Valentines Day, when he thought people were at an emotional low.

Zaborney said that Americans are embarrassed to show feelings in public, and he hoped that a National Hugging Day would help change that.

In August, 2025, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney got into the news for hugging this Pride Parade participant in Vancouver.  

And of course, there are also tree huggers

But this day is for showing affection.  Give someone you love a hug!

Beach Bums - Part 78

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.