Bodybuilders - Part 45

Jack LaLanne and Jack Thomas

Last time we saw bodybuilder Jack Thomas.  Today we look at a famous photo shoot that California photographer Russ Warner did of Jack Thomas (left) together with Jack LaLanne (right) in the early 1950s.

Jack LaLanne (1914-2011) became a fitness guru.  He hosted the first and longest-running fitness TV show, The Jack LaLanne Show, from 1951 to 1985.

Using the rope as a prop.

Engaging in some acrobatics, Thomas gets on top of LaLanne ...

and does a remarkable handstand in mid-air.

LaLanne lifts Thomas to show off his impressive strength (and his impressive body).

When Jack LaLanne became famous for his television series, he attempted to buy and destroy all prints of the photo set, because he was afraid that they gave a homosexual impression.  (You think?)  Fortunately, photographer Russ Warner refused, and that's why we have the photos to enjoy today.

Columbus Day 2026

Columbus Day

Today is Columbus Day.  Christopher Columbus discovered America on October 12, 1492.  Some people do not consider that a thing to celebrate, as it led to genocide of Native Americans.  So, today's post does not celebrate Christopher Columbus.  It celebrates a statue in Columbus Circle, New York City.

This is a statue of Adam in the Columbus Circle shops in the Time Warner building.  It and a companion statue of Eve were made by Colombian artist Fernando Botero (1932-2023) in 1990.

A rear view of the statue.  It's about 12 feet tall.

Why is the statue's penis gold?  The statue is made of bronze, which naturally oxidizes to a dark brown patina.  But so many passers-by have rubbed the penis of this statue that the patina has been rubbed off, exposing the shiny metal underneath.

This little guy can't quite reach it.

But she and thousands of others can.

Olympics - Part 26

Akwasi Frimpong

Akwasi Frimpong represented Ghana in the 2018 Winter Olympics.  His sport, skeleton, uses a small bobsled where the rider rides face down.  He was the second Winter Olympian from Ghana in history.  Clearly Ghana is not a country with a lot of winter sports.

Frimpong was born in Ghana in 1986.  His first eight years were spent in a small one-room cottage in Kumasai, Ghana, raised by his grandmother with nine other grandchildren.  They all slept on the ground.

At age 8 he joined his mother, a gospel singer, in the Netherlands, but he was an illegal immigrant.

He began sprinting at age 15.  In 2003 he won the title of Dutch junior champion in the 200 meter sprint, earning the nickname GoldenSprint, and he aspired to compete in the Olympics.

Meanwhile, his family and his supporters worked on getting him a Dutch residence permit.  It took 13 years, but he got legal residence in 2007 and became a Dutch citizen in 2008.

However, he suffered a severe ankle injury that temporarily derailed his running hopes.  He applied to colleges in America and was offered a scholarship to Utah Valley University.  He attended UVU and ran for the college team, where he broke several records.

The Dutch bobsled team was visiting Utah and tried out Frimpong as a brakeman.  In 2013 he was invited to the Dutch pre-Olympic team trials, and he was selected among 7 others.

In 2018 he decided to compete for Ghana at the Winter Olympics on skeleton.  He was the only male athlete representing the African continent.

I do not know the story behind his posing for these photos.

Events - Part 93

Smallest Penis in Brooklyn

From 2013 to 2015 the Kings County bar in Brooklyn, above, hosted the Smallest Penis in Brooklyn contest.

Customers viewing the contest could drink a Penis Colada.

It wasn't just a contest for who had the smallest penis.  In 2013 they did measure the penises (above), but they didn't even bother to measure them in 2014 and 2015.

It was really a kind of combined beauty pageant and talent show for men with a small penis and the balls to show up.  The remaining photos are from the 2015 contest.  There were 5 contestants in 2015.  The competition consisted of three rounds.  The first round was "formal wear" (above).

A closeup of the "formal wear".

The second round was "swimwear", which didn't cover much.  Above is contestant Puzzlemaster. 

A closeup of Puzzlemaster in "swimwear".

The third round was a talent contest.  Above, contestant Cromwell singing.

Contestant Rip van Dinkle singing.

The judges awarded the 2015 title to Puzzlemaster.  In the talent contest, he sang the theme from "Goldfinger" in which he changed the words to "gold dinger."

We end with this view of Puzzlemaster.  His real name is Taylor Campbell, and he flew in from Wisconsin to be in the contest.  He won a prize of $500, but more than that, he won the proud title of "Smallest Penis in Brooklyn."

In late 2015 the Kings County bar closed, and that was the end of the Smallest Penis in Brooklyn contest.

Performers - Part 93

Sting

Sting is the alias of English musician Gordon Sumner, born in 1951.  He was the lead singer for the rock band the Police.  He never performed naked, but there are a few nude photos of him on the beach or by a pool, presumably taken by paparazzi.

He also posed for some photographers.  The shot above was taken by Michel Comte in 1994.  Sting looks like he might be nude, but you can't tell.

But there's no doubt in a set of photos taken in the California desert in 1985 by Annie Leibovitz, including the shot above ... 

and this rear view that will end our post today.

Photographers - Part 93

 Guglielmo Plüschow

Guglielmo Plüschow (1852-1930) was a German photographer who moved to Italy in 1870 and changed his name from Wilhelm to Guglielmo.  He became known for his nude photos of local youths.

Vincenzo Galdi, 1890.  Plüschow was gay.  Galdi was a favorite model and seems to have been Plüschow's lover.  Galdi later became a photographer in his own right.

Male Nude Seated on Leopard Skin, 1890s.

A Sicilian Boy Posing Naked Outdoors, c. 1900.  This might be Galdi.  Although he's called a Sicilian boy, and Galdi was from Naples, at one time all of southern Italy, including Naples, was part of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

Curly-Haired Boy From Behind Playing a Fife, 1900s.  This looks like the same model as the previous photo.

An Old Man and a Youth, 1900-1907.

An undated photo called A Sicilian Boy, Posing Naked Outdoors by a Doorway, Taormina, Sicily.

Naked Man Before a Black Brocade Cloth, 1900-1907.

We end with Naked Algerian Boy Leaning on a Black Cloth, 1904-1907.  Plüschow and Galdi traveled to Algeria in 1904, where they lived and worked for three years.  In 1907 the parents of some of Plüschow's young models complained to authorities that he had had anal sex with their sons.  Plüschow was convicted and imprisoned for three years.  When he was released, Plüschow left Algeria and moved to Berlin.

Note that this youth was circumcised, as most Muslims are, whereas the Italians were uncircumcised.

Calendars - Part 94

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