Below is an excerpt from AANR President John Kinman's President's Podium column that will appear in the February issue of The Bulletin.

 While nude recreation and nude travel opportunities have grown a great deal over the past several years, we are still mostly a boutique business compared with large textile resorts with greater economies of scale.  If you're willing to pay more to wear less, you could be a nudist. 

I've heard of some other descriptions of nudist travelers.  With apologies to Jeff Foxworthy and his comedy routine, "You might be a redneck," I offer the following:

YOU MIGHT BE A NUDIST IF: 

• You spend a great weekend at a nudist resort and are almost to the exit gate when you realize that you forgot to get dressed. 

• You sign up to a time share presentation, take the free gift, and when shown the other resorts you could trade for ask, "Which ones allow me to be nude?"

• You start to walk out of your RV in the morning naked and, for a moment, need to verify that you aren't staying at a KOA. 

• You are never without a towel.

• You choose an upstairs room at a hotel with an interior hallway so that your window curtains can be left open and still allow you to be nude. 

• When checking in to the Holiday Inn you ask, "What are the clothing-optional hours for the pool and spa?"

• At home, you keep a robe by your front door.

• You buy a velcro waist band to hold tennis balls. 

• You can actually identify with this list.

Click here to add to this list.

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Sixty-three percent of the 1,006 people surveyed by German magazine Stern support the idea of body scanners at airports due to the attempted terror attack on a U.S. airliner on December 25, while 31 percent oppose it and six percent are undecided on the issue.

Support differs between people from the eastern and western parts of the country, as East Germans are more tolerant toward nudity. The poll showed 72 percent of East Germans favor the heightened security measure as opposed to 61 percent among West Germans.

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Twice this holiday season, AANR's Nakation in a Box appeared on a list of gift suggestions for the person who has everything. Splash Magazine's included it in Holiday Travel & Leisure Gifts for 2009. CNBC--the popular cable news channel--featured the Association's Nakation box on its list of "unusual" gifts.

Now you can start the new year off right with your very own Nakation Weekender Package featuring our most popular T-shirt that states "Caution! Clothes may come off without warning" displayed in bold black letters on a "traffic yellow" background. Your weekender kit also includes sunscreen packets and AANR's List of Clubs, a full color listing with a fold-out color map that pinpoints AANR clubs and nearby cities as well as major highways.

Click here to order.

Former Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins graces the cover of this month's Australian Marie Claire issue completely naked and sans airbrushing. Hawkins was Miss Universe in 2004 and is working with the Butterfly Foundation to promote positive body image.

Yet, the cover is causing somewhat of a controversy because while some deem her "brave" for posing nude, others feel it's hardly "brave" for a lingerie model with a near perfect body to appear nude.

Defenders say the cover promotes the fight against obesity and highlights the main goal of the Butterfly Foundation, which is maintaining a healthy body image while fighting eating disorders. Detractors feel that a lingerie model's body is not an average representation of a normal woman's body.

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"Card-carrying members are the heartbeat of our association.I made an educated and informed decision to support AANR with my membership and volunteer time.  Every time I read about AANR in the mainstream news, use an AANR resource, visit the Web site, or go nude, I am convinced I have made a great decision.  Memberships are not only of value but are essential to AANR.   My membership matters and yours does, too."

                                                        By Shirley Gauthier 

Sun-cerely,

Erich E. Schuttauf, J.D.
AANR Executive Director
e.bulletin@yahoo.com