Bali Under Threat

One part of Asia looks like it is moving away from naturism and from general tolerance and respect for others in general.
Indonesia is about to vote next month on a wideranging and vague new law, misleadingly called an 'anti-pornography' law.
The problem is that it goes much further than that.
The law originates with conservative Islamist extremists, and would force the numerous minorities in Indonesia to adapt to strict mores and values that are not their own.
Indonesia is known as a moderate Muslim nation, but comprises many non-Muslim minorities: Buddhist and Daoist Chinese, Christians, animists, and the famous Hindu people of Bali. It's the residents of that popular tourist destination who have been at the forefront of the fight against the new law, because they fear it will damage their culture, as well as the tourist industry.
You can read reports about the Balinese protest campaign from respected international news agency Agence France Presse at http://www.france24.com/en/20080918-bali-bristles-over-indonesian-porn-bill-0 and from a local Balinese viewpoint at http://www.balidiscovery.com/messages/message.asp?Id=3060
If the Indonesian parliament approves the law, the loss will be not only Bali's, but also Indonesia's, because its image of tolerance will go down the drain.
While there is no legal naturism in Indonesia or Bali now, the new law will make the prospect of Indonesians finding out about the joys of naturism even more remote.
The people of Bali and all the opponents of the new law deserve all the support they can get in their fight against ill-informed mixing of religion and politics.

Taiwanese Entertainer on Nude Swim

Taiwanese singer Van Fan went out for a short nude swim Thursday because the new film he stars in, Cape No. 7, is approaching the 100 million New Taiwan dollar mark in box office grosses.
Admittedly, that sum, about US$3 million, doesn't amount to much in Hollywood, but in Taiwan, it's big news, especially for a product from the local movie industry, which has been in dire straits for decades now.
Director Wei Te-sheng, cast members, reporters and Van fans were all on hand on the sunny beach in Kenting at Taiwan's southern tip to watch the star walk away into the surf, still wearing a T-shirt and shorts. True to Taiwanese form, he only took off his gear after the naughty bits were covered by the none-too-transparent water. He held the clothing up in the air to prove he had fulfilled his bet, and then returned to the beach with the textile covering up the aforementioned naughty bits. He was also holding a fake Oscar statuette, because Taiwan has nominated Cape No.7 as its official candidate in the category for foreign-language films.
Fan and Wei said they had expected the movie to make that much money, but after three months, not within one month. The rather sentimental love story set in Kenting - already a popular beach and surf destination for locals and foreign residents alike - will be followed by a historic epic about an uprising by the local aboriginals against Japanese colonization.

Eva Mendes in the News

Hollywood star Eva Mendes did this ad for People for Ethical Treatment of Animals - PETA - last year, she said she liked gardening naked, and then we went on to select her as the Naturist of the Year 2007.

Eva Mendes is back in the news again for a topic related to nudity. She shot a TV ad for Calvin Klein which showed one of her nipples. The result? The ad was banned - in the United States.

You can read more about it on other naturist sites and at www.evamendes.com. While we do not equal appearing naked or semi-naked in ads as a form of naturism, Eva Mendes does have a naturist-friendly image, and as such we at least approve of her appearing in such an ad.

As she said herself, censors in the United States seem to be much more tolerant of brutality, violence and bloodshed than they are of the human body - one of God's great gifts to the world. It's a strange world.

As naturists, we actually also hope that the use of sexual nudity to sell products can also stop. But we're not so naive or inhuman to think that the naked body cannot be attractive. In ads for underwear, soap and shampoo products, and cosmetics in general, nudity can be completely acceptable, because those are situations where nudity is normal. Then you also have the humorous use of nudity, for example when a hot air balloon full of naturists crashes along a road, and the naturists can hike along with the next motorist. A funny but positive depiction of naturist as we wished there were more, not just in the United States, but all around the world.