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Nude hiking day; attorney found in trash; downloading $80,000 songs
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Any guesses regarding the solar panel?
Happy weekend. It’s the end of the world and most of us know it… That’s where this page comes in. Each Friday, this space features a few examples of a civilization neatly tucked in a hand basket and rocketing straight for hell. Let’s call it a primer for those unaware and at the same time, reinforcement for those of us already packed for the trip…
Don’t Tell Dad – Sunday is also Naked Hiking Day
Fathers, for the most part, are greatly under appreciated. The lone day set aside to recognize dear old dad often finds the familial patriarch barbecuing his own dinner, picking up the tab for his Father’s Day meal or pretending that he is indeed happy with a ‘World’s Greatest Dad’ coffee mug.
This year, dad not only has to share his solitary day of celebration with the summer solstice, but also with forests full of naked people.
Each year, the first day of summer marks the time that dozens of outdoor enthusiasts drop their clothes, lotion-up the parts usually protected from ultraviolet rays and give the woodland insects a couple of additional targets on which to chomp.
It is Naked Hiking Day, and fans of au naturel exploration (no, not that kind) take to the trails in search of scout troops to terrorize.
“There’s no way to explain it until you experience it,” Andrew Williams told the Associated Press. “It’s not about being lewd and crude and all that, it’s about enjoyment.”
Enjoyment, I suppose, is both in the eye of the beholder and the beholdee.
“It’s just rude,” said Brian King, spokesperson for the Appalachian Trail Conservatory. “People are out there hiking with their kids and families.”
Last year, visitors to the South Mountain Recreation Area in western Maryland reported seeing a group of naked men on the Free State’s section of the Appalachian Trail. By the time law enforcement caught up to the group they had donned their clothes, but officials still issued them warnings for disorderly conduct.
Shane Steinkamp, a 40-year-old blogger and naked hiking enthusiast, said he started hiking sans clothes as a young boy after skinny-dipping on a hot summer day. He wrote that he soon “discovered the joys of being a natural animal in his natural habitat.”
Nudity, he says, enhances one’s appreciation of nature. It may also heighten ones awareness of poison ivy and biting insects.
“There is an advantage to hiking naked in buggy areas,” another nude trailblazer told the AP, “wood ticks on the skin are easier to spot.”
Someone Threw Away a Perfectly Good Lawyer
Jeffersonville, Indiana, resident Roberta Embry told the News and Tribune that her husband made an unexpected discovery when he left for work in the morning: their neighbor was in their trash can.
Jeffersonville attorney Larry Wilder had removed the garbage, laid the receptacle on its side, and apparently crawled inside the makeshift shelter to sleep off a few too many adult beverages.
Jeffersonville Police Chief Tim Deeringer told the News and Tribune Wilder was cooperative when officers arrived and also able to walk back to his home… next door. Wilder’s adult children were home and able to “take care of him from there,” Chief Deeringer said.
Although police records described the attorney as “intoxicated,” no breath alcohol or sobriety test was administered.
“There was no crime committed,” Deeringer said.
Wilder represents the Jeffersonville City Council and is also the attorney for the Clark County Schools system. He and his ex-wife, Peggy, were divorced last year.
Peggy Wilder is the Jeffersonville Clerk-Treasurer, and is currently under investigation for improper use of city credit cards.
Perhaps the Embry’s should convert their trash area into a duplex.
80 Grand per Download… Stealing from Cassettes was Cheaper
The music industry, struggling economically because 95% of the music they release is crap, struck another intimidating blow against piracy downloads this week when they won a lawsuit awarding record companies a $1.92 million settlement.
Jammie Thomas-Rassett, a single mother of four, was found liable for using the Kazaa file-sharing network to download the music.
The jury ruled the Minnesota woman willfully violated the copyright on 24 songs and ordered her to pay $80,000 per tune.
According to the TimesOnline, Thomas-Rassett told reporters: “There’s no way they’re ever going to get that. I’m a mom, limited means, I’m not going to worry about it now.”
The 32-year-old had been convicted in October 2007 and ordered to pay $220,000, but the presiding judge threw out the verdict and declared a mistrial.
The Recording Industry of America (RIAA) has sued 35,000 people for online music piracy since 2003. Most of those charged often settle for amounts between $3,000 and $5,000.
Originally, the RIAA accused Thomas-Rasset of illegally sharing 1700 songs on the Kazaa service.
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