Vernal Equinox

Vernal Equinox

Today is the vernal (spring) equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, marking the official beginning of spring.  The length of the day and night are equal today all over the Earth.

Certain beaches in Britain hold a mass skinny-dip event on the autumnal (fall) equinox in September, but not in March, when the ocean is very cold.  However, the guy above went for a vernal equinox skinny dip at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh, Scotland.  Brrr!

And these guys did a vernal equinox skinny dip on the Isle of Man, an island located between England and Ireland.

No equinox skinny-dipping for me!  How about celebrating the equinox with a couple of ads from Equinox Gyms?  This 2008 ad has a man posing naked for a group of nuns who look suspiciously like models, not nuns.

And we end with a 2020 Equinox Gyms ad with two guys who evidently want to show off to each other.

Olympics - Part 17

 Olympic Art

From 1912 to 1948 the Olympics included art competitions.  The winners were awarded gold, silver and bronze medals, just like the athletic competitions.  Art competitions included painting, sculpture, architecture, even literature and music.  Entries were supposed to be related to athletics.  Many of the sculptures were nude, as is traditional in classic sculpture.  Here are some nude sculptures that won awards.

In 1924, Greek sculptor Konstantinos Dimitriadis won a gold medal for The Discus Thrower, above.

The 1924 bronze medal in sculpture went to Danish sculptor Jean René Gaugin, the son of French painter Paul Gaugin, for The Boxer, seen above with its creator.

In 1928, French sculptor Paul Landowski won a gold medal for Le Pugiliste (The Boxer).

A bronze medal in 1928 was awarded to Swiss sculptor Renée Sintenis for Football Player.

In 1932, a bronze medal was given to Czech sculptor Jakub Obrovsky for Vraždící Odysseus (Odysseus Killing), depicting Odysseus killing his wife's suitors when he returns from the Trojan war.  A nice work, but it's hard to see what it has to do with athletics.

In 1936, German sculptor Arno Breker won a silver medal for Decathlete.

A bronze medal was given in 1936 to Swedish sculptor Stig Blomberg for Wrestling Boys.

We end in 1948, the last year these Olympic art medals were given out.  The 1948 gold medal for sculpture was won by Swedish sculptor Gustaf Nordahl for Homage to Ling.  The sculpture honors Per Henrik Ling, a Swedish gymnastics pioneer.

Performers - Part 83

 Patrick (Paddy) Costello

Dillinger Four is a punk rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1994.  One of the band members, Paddy Costello, occasionally strips naked onstage.  Above, playing at The Fest music festival in Gainesville, Florida in 2005.

Here he is again at The Fest in 2006.

At the Insubordination Fest punk rock music festival in Baltimore, Maryland in 2009.

Another view of him at the 2009 Insubordination Fest.

At the Now That's Class music bar in Cleveland, Ohio in 2009, a fan seems to be stuffing a piece of paper into his butt.

We end with this undated photo.  Paddy is certainly not a muscle god; in fact, he's a bit on the chubby side, but he's unashamed and he doesn't care.  His tattoo says "How much art can you take?"

St. Patrick's Day 2026

St. Patrick's Day

Today's the day when we all get to be a little bit Irish through the wearing of the green ...

whether it's green socks ...

or a green scarf ...

or green shorts ...

or whatever.  Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Photographers - Part 83

Llevellyn Lightsey

Llevellyn Lightsey, born in 1954, is a commercial photographer on the island of Maui, Hawaii.

His website, Light Sea Images, includes photos of Maui scenery, portraits and wedding pictures.  But it also includes another kind of scenery, like Jim on the beach, above.

Koty.

Nate.

Peter.

Armen in a Japanese garden on Maui.

We end with Armen assuming the pose of Leonardo Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man.

Calendars - Part 84

Leek Calendar Boys 2025

Today we look at a calendar produced by a group of friends in Leek, England to raise money to fight prostate cancer.

The group of 20 men got the idea while sitting in the Blue Mugge pub.

They were chatting over a pint about fundraising after most of them had experience with cancer or knew somebody who had.

Nigel Maycock (Mr. October) said "It's a group effort, yeah, but it stemmed from something we were talking about in the pub."

Above, Pete Lymer, the town butcher, shows off his sausage.

Said Maycock, "We were on about the calendar girls, raising money, and a lot of us have experienced something to do with cancer."

Is that a cock pheasant?

Maycock continued, "And then before you know it, it goes from a couple of pints of 'shall we do it, shouldn't we do it.  Well let's do it.'  And that was it."

Mr. June, Paul Harrison, is the pub landlord.  He holds the mug after which the Blue Mugge pub is named.

A little night music?

Hold on to your hats.

Mr. September, Wayne Thomas, poses at his place of business, the Mill Street Kitchen.

At right, Nigel Maycock and others pose on the stone lion in the center of town.

We end with Andrew Cordon posing with his pet ferrets.

Protests - Part 83

Extinction Rebellion

Extinction Rebellion is a global environmental movement, founded in Britain, that uses civil disobedience to promote goals such as avoiding biodiversity loss.

On March 21, 2024, the Dutch branch of Extinction Rebellion staged a protest at Keukenhof, the biggest flower garden in the Netherlands.  

They were protesting the use of pesticides in flower bulb cultivation.  The banner "Sluit de gifkraan" means "Close the poison faucet."

The group demanded poison-free flower bulb cultivation to protect health and the environment.

Some of the protesters were naked to symbolize vulnerability (and to get the public's attention).

Other protesters wore bee suits (with the stripes) to represent the vulnerable pollinators, and fake dead bees were scattered on the pavement.

The naked protesters were covered in red "blood", which was supposed to represent the danger to health from pesticides, though the danger doesn't actually involve blood.

However, they presented a striking image.