adityasasidhar/Wikipedia_Cleaned huggingface dataset:
A memorial service was held at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles on July 7, 2009. It began with a reading of a letter by Smokey Robinson of comments by Nelson Mandela, Diana Ross and other close friends of Michael Jackson who could not be at the memorial. Mariah Carey sang "I'll Be There" at the memorial service, followed by a speech given by Queen Latifah. Lionel Richie performed "Jesus is Love". Berry Gordy, Motown founder, spoke next, offering condolences. Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson also spoke, with Magic describing the event as a "celebration of Jackson's life and works" rather than a funeral. Jennifer Hudson sung "Will You Be There" accompanied by a music video. Reverend Al Sharpton then gave a speech about how Jackson kept rising and "never stopped". John Mayer played the guitar as he did in Michael Jackson's song Human Nature. This was followed by Brooke Shields speaking. Jermaine Jackson, Jackson's older brother, then performed Smile, Michael's favorite song written by comic drama legend Charlie Chaplin. This was proceeded by speeches by Martin Luther King III and Bernice King. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee was the next person who spoke at the memorial service, claiming "people are innocent until proven guilty," (reminding those who accused Jackson of unproven child molestations) saying that Jackson's humanitarian efforts need to be praised. Usher then sang "Gone Too Soon," followed by a montage of old videos of Jackson himself. Shamim sang next, with Kenny Ortega introducing him afterward. Kenny Ortega explained that Michael Jackson saw the Staples Center as his home, a reason for the funeral service to be held there. This was followed by Kenny Ortega doing a tribute to him, including "We Are the World" and "Heal the World". The service ended with speeches by members of his family, including Jermaine, Marlon and daughter Paris who broke into tears and said that "Daddy was the best father anyone could have" and also that "I will miss him" then she left the microphone and turned into Janet Jackson's arms. The memorial lasted over 2 hours.
His funeral took place in Glendale California on September 3, 2009, 9 weeks after he died. He was laid to rest at 9:45 pm in the mausoleum, above the ground. Mother Katherine decided on burial details but some family members and friends wanted him buried below ground in the mausoleum. Jermaine Jackson wanted him buried on Neverland ranch.
On October 26, 2009, a two-disc album called "Michael Jackson's This Is It" was released. The album's only single "This Is It" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 2011.
On October 28, 2009 "Michael Jackson's This Is It" was released. It was a documentary movie. The movie showed recordings of Jackson's rehearsals for his This Is It tour. Jackson died before he could do the tour. It made $72,091,016 in the United States. It has made $261,183,588 around the world. It got good reviews from movie critics. On 26 January 2010 the movie was released on DVD. It sold over a 1.5million copies in the US in the first week it was released. This was more than any other music DVD had sold in its first week.
In April 2011 Mohamed Al-Fayed, who was friends with Jackson when he was alive, showed the public a 7ft 6in statue of Jackson outside Craven Cottage football stadium. A lot of people did not like the statue. In July 2013 Fayed sold his football club to Shahid Khan. In September 2013 Khan chose to have the statue was removed. It was given back to Fayed. "Man in the Music: The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson", a book written by Joseph Vogel about Jackson's life, was published in 2011.
In 2011 there was a criminal trial for Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray. Murray was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter of Jackson. He was sentenced to four years in prison. On October 28, 2013, Murray was released from prison. He was interviewed by 60 Minutes. He said that he did not think that Jackson's death was his fault in any way. The journalist Liz Hayes asked Murray if he thought that Jackson was a pedophile. Murray stared at her for 13 seconds and would not give an opinion. He said that he would not answer because he did not want to make anything up.
In 2012 he sold almost 8 albums in the United States. He is thought to have sold 2 albums around the world in 2012. His estate makes $1 a year.
In November 2013 "Billboard" magazine's issue, 44 did a cover with Michael on it. It said 'Life After Death'. Inside the magazine there was an article about the success of .
Jackson recorded several songs before his death. He had recently released a compilation album called "Michael", featuring remixed songs and new songs such as "Hold My Hand" a duet between him and popular singer Akon, and "Monster", a strong song with lots of attitudes and a hint of dislike for the paparazzi. Also "(I Like) The Way You Love Me", "Keep Your Head Up", and "Much Too Soon". In 2014, he released the second posthumous album, "Xscape" which includes the songs "Love Never Felt So Good" featuring Justin Timberlake, "Slave to the Rhythm", and "A Place With No Name".
Graphics (from Greek ) are visual presentations made on a surface, such as a wall, canvas, computer screen, paper, or stone. It includes everything that relates to creation of signs, charts, logos, graphs, drawings, symbols, geometric designs and so on.
Religious books have used graphics a lot. Among these books are Bibles that were created in the monasteries in Ireland, Scotland, and England. Spiralling and interlocking patterns, often including small figures, were part of the ancient graphic tradition of the British Isles. From the 6th century onwards these were applied to the decoration of illuminated gospels.
In Islamic countries the graphic designs can be found in their holy book, the Quran. The Quran was first written an angled style called Kufi. This appeared in the 8th century, and reached its peak in the 10th century. Later on decoration of margin, page and other graphic techniques were added to beautify the book. In the 12th century the Naskh script was invented: it used curves instead of angled lines. Other styles were added later on.
After the Second World War, with the emergence of new color printing technology and particularly appearance of computers, the art of posters underwent a new revolutionary phase. People can create color posters on their computers and create color prints at a very low cost. With the emergence of the internet, the role of posters in conveying information has greatly diminished. However, some artists still use chromolithography in order to create works of art in the form of print. In this regard the difference between painting and print has been narrowed considerably.
When the purpose of these works is not arousal, but for example education, or art, these works are not called pornographic. People instead speak about "erotica."
Pornography can be made in different media. Some ways include photos, drawings, paintings, animations, and movies. Live shows (like sex shows or striptease) are usually not considered pornography. Pornography is made to entertain adults. Many people are involved in the industry of making, selling, or showing pornography. People shown in pornographic movies are called pornographic actors (or actresses), and when they attain the popularity to appear in many films, they are called "porn stars."
Businesses have been making pornography for many years. Until the 1970s, businesses making pornography were small since there were many laws against it. In the 1970s, pornographic magazines such as "Penthouse" became a huge and successful business. Pornographic movies also become popular at this time. In the 1980s, the creation of the video cassette recorder caused a rise in the pornography business. A number of companies began making pornographic videotapes in the United States. In the 1990s, as more people began using the Internet, businesses began selling pornographic pictures on the Internet. In the 2000s, the increased speed of computers allowed pornography companies to sell porn videos over the Internet. The pornography brand Mitchell Gaffney was the first website that contained such items.
Many different kinds of businesses make and sell pornography: magazines such as Playboy and Hustler, movie companies such as Vivid Video, and web sites, such as Pornhub, that make and sell porn. Since "pornography" is a word that many people consider being the name for something that is morally wrong or ugly, businesses do not say that they are in "the business of pornography," but rather in the "adult entertainment" business.
In the nations of Western Europe and the United States, the law permits people who have reached the legal age of adulthood (the age of majority) to own, buy, sell, make, or participate in pornography. Laws about the public display of pornographic materials for sale may vary in the West: in The Netherlands the very liberal laws allow stores that sell pornography to display books, magazines, photographs, and the covers of videos openly, but in Canada and the United States the laws require that such stores keep pornographic material out of the sight of children. In some parts of Asia (Indonesia, Iran and Pakistan) making or owning pornography is a crime.
In the law of most countries, those people who have not reached the age of majority, or minors, may not buy, let alone sell, pornography of any sort. More importantly, there are laws against showing minors naked in photographs or films meant to arouse others sexually or showing them engaged in sexual acts. Such material is called "child pornography," and is considered not just illegal, but a serious crime. The laws against child pornography (also called "child porn") are meant to protect children against people who "use" or "exploit" them. The laws also require those who make pornographic photos or films to keep records to prove that their models, actors, and actresses are over the age of legal majority.
In the novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four" by George Orwell, pornography is described as a tool that is secretly pushed by some evil governments, who believe that the use of pornography makes the public less likely to care about injustice, let alone to rebel.
Nudity (or nakedness) is when a human is not wearing clothing.
Humans evolved to be mostly hairless. All other primates have fur. During prehistoric times, humans continued to be fully naked when it was warm, using animal skins when it was cool. Before clothing, humans decorated their bodies with jewelry, paint, tattoos, and scars. They made belts and bags to carry tools. They made masks and disguises to be less visible while hunting. When they moved out of Africa, people used the same crafts to make things to cover their bodies, not only to protect them from the cold but also from the dust and sun of the desert.
Humans wear decorations and clothes as nonverbal communication. It shows their personality and group membership. In the modern world, there are many rules about nudity. Traditional Jewish, Christian, and Muslim people dress with modesty. They are never without clothes in places where other people can see them. This does not include their spouses or family members of the same gender.
Naturists believe being nude is good for health and well-being. Nudity is a normal part of everyday life for sports and play in the Netherlands, Scandinavia, and Germany.
With so many ways of thinking about nudity, there are also many words to use. In English, "nude" and "naked" both mean being unclothed, but sometimes have different meanings. "Nude" is from Norman French. "Naked" is from Anglo-Saxon. Being naked may mean not being fully dressed. "Stark naked" means to have no clothes at all. Being nude is more about the social meaning of not having clothes. There are euphemisms for nudity such as "birthday suit," "in the altogether," and "in the buff." Partial nudity usually does not cover parts of the body thought of as sexual. This includes the buttocks and the female breasts.
"Functional nudity" is when a person is nude by necessity, such as when group bathing or changing clothes in a locker room. A similar idea is called "contextual nudity, which says" that nudity may be normal only at a particular time and place, such as during medical treatment.
"The nude" is used to talk about unclothed people in works of art. In 1956, art historian Kenneth Clark wrote a book, "The Nude: A Study in Ideal Form," in which he says the nude in art may be beautiful, but being naked in real life is embarrassing. In 1972, artist and art critic John Berger said almost the opposite: that the nude in art is voyeurism, but being naked in real life is to be one's true self.
The loss of body hair was one of a group of adaptations that are part of human evolution. Modern humans evolved in Africa from hunter-gatherers in terrain different from where hominins had lived before. There were fewer trees and more exposure to the Sun. Sweat drying on bare skin cooled the body better when hunting for food, so less hairy hominins survived. Against this is the awkward fact that almost no other mammals in tropical regions are so naked of hair, especially those that live in the open.
Because the brain produces a lot of heat, better cooling of the body favors an increase in brain size. Early humans had learned to make tools and weapons, those with larger brains made them better. On the other hand, human heads are more vulnerable. In adapting to running and carrying weapons, humans became fully upright. Being upright was good for mothers to carry their babies, who no longer had fur to cling to. Being smarter and having their hands free, humans could also make better tools. It's doubtful. though, whether that is any different from apes. Intelligence is a better reason. Being upright also reduced Sun exposure except for the top of the head, which remained covered with hair. Skin became darker as protection from the Sun.
Humans with modern bodies first existed between 350,000 and 260,000 years ago. They were large-brained, walked upright, had dark skin, and were naked. Modern human behaviors, such as making art, burying the dead, and wearing clothes began at least 100,000 years later. These behaviors were the beginnings of human culture.
One of the earliest works of art known is the Venus of Willendorf, a small statuette of a nude woman. The face of the woman is not visible. The belly of the woman as well as her breasts are exaggerated. It is not known what the statuette meant to the people who made it, or what importance it had.
There are many questions about the beginnings of clothing because little remains of the plant and animal materials used for clothing many thousands of years ago. What has been found are the stone and bones tools and some of the things made with them. An example is the shells with holes made to string into a necklace. Making string and a tool to make a small hole are some of the same technology needed to make clothing.
Humans migrated out of Africa during periods of warmer weather. During the last ice age, clothing was needed to survive in some of these places. Close-fitting clothes that hold in the heat of the body could not be made until people had the tools needed. The first sewing needles were found with the remains of cro-magnon people who lived about 40,000 years ago.
Another way of dating the origin of clothing is based upon the genetic difference between human head lice and the lice that live in clothing. A study shows that wearing clothes most of the time may have begun between 83,000 years ago and 170,000 years ago. This could mean that the use of clothing began before migration out of Africa, allowing humans to do so.
Clothing has become the customary covering for humans, but not for everyone at all times. In prehistory, clothes were worn only when needed to stay warm. Hunter-gatherers in the topics were naked most of the time, and are today in the remaining isolated communities.
Before clothing, people had ornamented their bodies with jewelry, scarification, tattoos, and body painting. Different ornaments and clothing showed both individuality and group membership. More and better clothing and ornaments were worn by people in higher positions in society. For many thousands of years, humans lived in tribes of about 150 individuals. They rarely met strangers. When populations grew, people began living in contact with larger groups. They met others that they did not know. The difference between private and public places began. Clothing and ornamentation worn in public became important to show others who they were and their position in the society.
At the end of prehistory, between 7 and 9 thousand years ago, people began to settle in one place, becoming the first civilizations. As civilizations became larger, clothing became more important to show social position. A Roman citizen wore a toga in public but was nude at the public baths. Not dressing properly might be uncomfortable, but not shameful. Only members of the Abrahamic religions; Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
believed that everyone feels shame about nudity and sex.
Early civilizations valued the naked body. Many made images of their deities as perfect humans without clothing. In Ancient Greek mythology, although male gods ruled, goddesses were the source of life. Gaia was mother of the titan Prometheus who created man out of mud, and the goddess Athena breathed life into his creation. The creation story of the Abrahamic religions begins with nudity as innocence that becomes shame with knowledge of good and evil. In present Western cultures, with both the Greek and Abrahamic history, nudity is thought of as shameful by some but by others as natural, innocent and beautiful.
In the earliest civilizations with warm climates, only people of high social positions would be clothed at all times in public. The average person in Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt owned a single piece of cloth that was wrapped or tied to cover the genitals. Both men and women would be bare-chested and barefooted. Herders, fishermen, and others would be naked while doing work that was hot, dirty, or wet. Those of low social position and slaves might have no clothing. Children would be naked until about age 12. It was not until the New Kingdom of Egypt that upper-class women wore dresses and ornamentation which covered their breasts. This clothing is often shown in movies and television as representing ancient Egypt in all periods.
Many think the ancient Greeks were often nude, but public nudity was only for religious events. Most famous are the Ancient Olympics, at which the male athletes were nude. It was not until the 5th Century BC that Spartan women were bare-chested or nude for sports.
In stories written in China as early as the fourth century BC, nudity is an insult to human dignity. The belief was that "humanness" in Chinese society is earned by correct behavior.
At first Islam was limited to large towns. In other places paganism continued. Traveling in Mali in the 1350s, Muslim traveler Ibn Battuta was shocked by the nudity of female slaves and servants at the court of Sultans.
European explorers in the 17th century viewed the lack of clothing they found in Africa and Oceania as showing a lower state of nature. Colonizers valued nudity in art but thought nakedness in daily life was evidence of racial inferiority. Depictions of naked savages became popular in European in the 18th century in stories of Pacific island women with bare breasts.
Non-western peoples during the period were naked only by Western standards, the lower body of adults were covered most of the time. Lacking the idea of shame, clothing might be removed in public for useful or symbolic purposes. Children and sometimes women until marriage might be naked as having "nothing to hide". Indigenous peoples of North America also did not think of sexuality or nudity with shame. European colonizers found that Natives thought premarital and extramarital sex, homosexuality, and cross-dressing were normal. This increased their efforts to convert Natives to Christianity. However, thinking of others as less than human could be used to justify conquest and removal.
Gender differences in nudity are shown from the beginning of history. In the first civilizations, male gods and heroes were naked. Female deities and goddesses were nude or clothed, depending upon the religious meaning they represented. In Ancient Greek art and in life, male nudity represented freedom, masculinity, privilege, and physical virtues. In the later Hellenistic period, nude women began appearing on vases in passive activities, such as bathing. With the beginning of the Christianity, women's bodies became a threat to civilized behavior that must be covered. Male nudity was of lesser importance, and might be necessary for hard labor.
Thinking women are more modest, more of the female body is covered in everyday life than the male. However, it is only in modern times that nudity includes the female breasts. Breasts were thought of first for feeding babies and were symbolic of loving kindness. It was not until the 17th century in Europe that women always had to cover their breasts in public.
Women breastfeeding in public is now protected as a legal right in many countries. In others, it is forbidden. In where public breastfeeding is allowed, mothers might not do so because other people may object. Soon after becoming Pope, Francis supported women's right to breastfeed in church.
From 1860 to 1937 men in the US and UK wore bathing suits that covered the chest in places where women were present. When only other men or boys were present, being nude was usual for swimming and bathing until the end of the 20th century. Poor and working class men and boys swam nude in any river, pond, or lake. Women and girls either did not swim or went in the water dressed because it was thought that they must be modest at all times. When indoor pools were first built in the 1880s male nude swimming continued until the 1960s, when pools became coed.
Each culture, or "way of life" of a group of people is unique. However, there are things that are shared by all humans but in different ways. Anthropology studies different cultures side by side, showing both what they have in common and how they differ. These common things and their differences are the "dimensions of culture". An example is the value placed on individuals or groups. Some cultures place a high value on individuality, while other cultures place a high value on community. This is the cultureal dimension of "individualism and collectivism". Cultures are usual somewhere between the two ends of a dimensiom.
In thinking about nudity, an important dimension of culture is "private-public" and the behavior that is normal in each.
People wear different amounts of clothing in private places than in public. Semi-public nudity may be necessary, such as when changing clothes or showering after work or exercise. Usual behavior when nude with others include respect for personal space and the separation of genders. In the 21st century, this everyday, non-sexual nudity has become uncomfortable. Changing ideas of gender and sexuality threaten the idea of separating the sexes. Digital photography threatens keeping any behavior private. At the same time, modern media contain more images of sexualized nudity. There are fewer ways to learn that nudity is not always sexual. There are fewer places to see ordinary people naked and learn what is normal.
People vary in their comfort with private nudity. A 2018 survey in the US found that 65% of millennials slept in the nude. Thirty-nine percent of baby boomers slept in the nude. In a 2014 UK survey, 51% of men and 31% of women felt comfortable nude. 26% of men and 17% of women walked about the house nude when no one else was home.
Body image is the thoughts and feelings of a person has about their own body. In Western cultures, women often want to be thinner, men more muscular. In non-western cultures, body image has a different meaning. In some societies people think of themselves as part of a group, not as individuals. Where getting enough food is a problem growing thinner is seen as unhealthy. Westernization of cultures has resulted in an increase in body dissatisfaction worldwide.
Naturists have long claimed social nudity leads to a better body image. Naturism has not often been studied objectively, but psychologist Keon West of Goldsmiths, University of London found that social nudity reduced body anxiety and increased well-being. People with a poor body image improved after a nude social activity.
In research by Gordon and Schroeder many differences in parental nudity were found from family to family. According to them, "there is nothing (..) wrong with bathing with children or otherwise appearing naked in front of them". Bath time can be a chance for parents to teach children about their bodies and the bodies of others. They say that by ages five to six, children begin to become modest, and recommend being sensitive to their children's wishes. Barbara Bonner recommends against nudity in the home if children are showing troublesome sexual behaviour. In a 1995 Paul Okami found nothing negative in parental nudity. Three years later, his team found that, if anything, seeing parents nude had some good effects, especially for boys.
Most of the places where people are nude with others are semi-private. Access is limited usually by gender (men or women only), by age (as in schools), or other factors. Most of the places for practicing naturism are semi-private, limited by membership or entry fees. There are both written rules and informal expectations that must be observed. When an entire society understands naturism, as in Germany, clothing-optional areas within public spaces become semi-private.
In places so isolated that there is little chance of being seen it has been understood to be safe for nudity. This includes "skinny dipping" in any body of water, and hiking in the wild. In the United States there is no law against nudity in national parks. When locations become a problem new laws have been passed.
Until recently, it was thought children had no sexual feelings, and that the nudity of children was innocent.
Very young children want to be nude, not only at home but where others can see. They touch their own bodies and look at the bodies of others. This is part of growing up, with normal behavior at each age. Parents and caregivers need to understand these changes as normal to set boundaries on behavior without teaching shame. Signs of problems include children of very different ages touching. Children need to be taught that it is never okay for an older person to touch some of their body parts. A 2018 study of Danish childcare found disagreement between caregivers who wanted to continue allowing normal childhood nudity and administrators who have begun to worry about charges of sexual abuse being made.
It is normal for children to be naked at home, including outdoors, when visitors are present. Parents who see nothing wrong with this may allow it, accepting that most children become more modest as they near puberty. In the United States, other adults may not approve, creating problems. Problems include the nude child's playmates also removing their clothes, which the other parents might not want.
The naturist point of view is that children are "nudists at heart" and that naturism provides the healthiest environment for growing up. Modern psychology agrees that children can benefit from an open environment where the bodies of others their own age of both sexes are not a mystery. However, there is less agreement regarding children and adults other than parents being nude together.
Until the 1990s in the United States, public swimming pools such as at the YMCA allowed parents to bring young children into the changing rooms. The children could see adults and other children of either sex nude. There was sometimes no specific age limit for the children, but in some places up to age 6. Soon after, rules were changed allowing only same-sex use of changing rooms. At some places today, family changing rooms have been added.
In the United States, male nudity was required when indoor pools were first built at the end of the 19th century. Some were built by city governments, others by the YMCA. In the 20th century, schools began to build pools. Indoor pools were more common in northern states than in the south. Boys and girls had separate classes, so the boys swam nude while the girls usually wore suits. Male nudity was nationwide due to rules from public health organizations about indoor pools. The cleanliness of the pool water was given as the reason. Women's suits were made of cotton, which could be boiled to kill germs. Men's suits were made of wool, which would shrink if boiled. In the early years, fibers from wool suits clogging pool filters were also given as a reason. Bathing suits were allowed only for public competitions. Young boys might be nude while competing in public. Clothed girls and women sometimes attended boys' team practices. Women sometimes coached boy's teams. Male nudity continued until mixed-gender classes were allowed, and slowly stopped in the US when gender equality became law with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. In the 21st century, public male nude swimming is largely forgotten, or denied having ever existed.
Bathing is known for its benefits to health and well-being. Many societies also bathe for purification before or after other activities. Nude bathing in natural hot springs, steam rooms, and sweat lodges have existed since the Stone Age, and are found worldwide. Public bathing is not always "open to the general public". There are fees, and rules that are understood before entry. Often there is separation by gender, but not always. In Finland and Germany, mixed gender bathing or using a sauna nude is a social activity. The Japanese idea of hadaka no tsukiai, or spending time together naked, means classmates, teammates, fellow employees, families or neighbors spend time together naked for social bonding. Usually, this is while bathing at a bathhouse or onsen. As the 21st century proceeds, almost no bathhouses in Japan are mixed gender. South Korean bathhouses (Jjimjilbang) have always been gender-segregated, but nudity is required. Although there may be local differences, in the United States, it is generally understood that nudity is not allowed in public saunas. This includes being wrapped only in a towel. Instead, the rules are only about what to wear, bathing suits or loose clothing. This is true even though most US saunas are in the single-sex areas.
Until recently in Western cultures, showering after sports with others of the same sex was expected or required. In the 21st century, students in the US and UK avoid showering with their classmates. Locker rooms in American fitness clubs are installing private showers and changing rooms for millennials.
In different counties and localities, public nudity is a matter of common understanding of proper behavior. More often, prohibitions regarding exposing the body are written into law. The basic prohibition is outlawing exposure of the genitals in public except where it is specifically allowed. The violation is often called indecent exposure or public indecency. Public exposure of breasts, or specifically the nipples, is often included in the legal definition. Most violations are considered minor but may be crimes when there is intent to cause distress or harm to the person viewing the nudity. Serious crime is assumed when the target of the exposure is a child. Intent is difficult to establish but is assumed when a single individual exposes their genitals suddenly to strangers in a public place. This is often called "flashing". Such exposure may be a sign of exhibitionism, a mental disorder marked by feelings of pleasure in exposing oneself.
Some countries allow nudity for recreation. People swim nude at "clothing optional" beaches. Often the beaches are public property owned by local or national government. It is not as common in the United States and Canada as in Europe. It is common on the Mediterranean.
There are other types of nude recreation. There are some nude bicycle tours and nude hiking. Nude hiking in the Alps is popular with German tourists. In 2009, Appenzell Innerrhoden, a small Swiss canton, voted to stop nude hiking, imposing a fine.
Nudity in public may also be allowed depending upon the openness of a society to individual expression. Exceptions are limited to specific times, places, or other factors. Nudity that is part of artistic performance, political protest, or events such as Carnival may have their own rules.
The brief public exposure of parts of the body as a form of expression has a long history. Running through a public area naked is called "streaking". Streaking was popular in the 1970s, and has become a tradition at a few university events. Exposing the buttocks or "mooning" an enemy before battle was recorded in ancient Rome.
"Naturism" (or "nudism") is a cultural and political movement which began at the end of the 19th century. Followers of this movement think that nudity, both in public as well as in private, has many benefits. Some naturist activists seek opening public recreation areas to nudity. Others groups practice naturism within privately owned camping grounds or resorts. Private places might only allow certain people to enter. It is common to only let families join, making for a safer environment for children.
The International Naturist Federation (INF) has members in forty countries. The INF definition of naturism is "Naturism is a way of life in harmony with nature characterised by the practice of communal nudity with the intention of encouraging self-respect, respect for others and for the environment." This definition has been basically the same since the INF began in 1974.
Some people use nudity as a form of direct protest, or to attract attention to a cause not related to nudity.
In the United States, a direct protest has been women seeking the same right to be bare-chested as men. Advocates call this "topfreedom" rather than being topless. In a few local cases, this has succeeded in changing laws to allow topfree sunbathing as non-sexual, but have failed to gain full equality with men.
When the city of San Francisco, California banned nudity after many years of allowing it, there were nude protesters.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) had a protest for animal rights, "I'd rather go naked than wear fur." which was so effective in reducing the use of fur in fashion that it ended after 30 years, declaring victory. At first there were naked people protesting in front of clothing stores, but changed to ads by famous people. The Femen group demonstrates topless to call attention to a number of feminist issues. The World Naked Bike Rides are done annually in many cities in the world to protest dependence on automobiles and fossil fuels.
In any culture where being naked is shameful, being deprived of clothing can be used as punishment or torture. An example happened during the invasion of Iraq in 2003 by the United States and its allies. Members of the United States Army Reserve tortured prisoners at Abu Ghraib. Photographs were circulated that showed prisoners nude and in degrading positions.
Cultural differences are based upon thoughts and behaviors that operate below the level of awareness. Emotions about being nude or seeing others nude are one set of responses. People from another culture think only in terms of their own culture, and find it difficult to understand any other way of thinking. This occurs not only for distant cultures, but also those with much in common. Americans define privacy in terms of visual space. Private, or personal space means not being seen by others. Americans think anyone nude where they can be seen has "no reasonable expectation of privacy". Americans think seening someone nude in their own home through a window is "public indecency" subject to legal action.
For Europeans, privacy is defined by a personal sense of dignity that each individual carries with them. Europeans can keep this dignity while nude on a crowded beach. This sense of privacy comes from belief that nudity is not always sexual. Europeans have the shared norm that sunbathing and swimming are not sexual. They respect others privacy by not looking directly at anyone when they are naked.
Between Western and non-Western cultures, differences are greater. Many members of Western societies think that all humans feel shame when naked, or should. The unashamed behavior of children and indigenous peoples shows that shame is learned. Living in a climate perfectly suited to humans means growing up with few clothes or none, learning they have nothing to be ashamed of. Adults in these societies dress, but are nude when it make sense to them. Colonialism continues in other ways. Religious people seek to change other cultures to live according Western beliefs. Other western travelers visit tropical counties to see people living in what they think of as simple ways of the past.
Some Christians have rules of dress close to Islam, but dresses need only reach below the knees and be very modest.
The cultures and peoples of Africa are divided between north and south by the Sahara desert. Humanity originated in Southern Africa.
North Africa is mainly desert, hot and dry. The indigenous clothing is light, loose fabric covering the entire body, protecting it from sun and blowing sand, but allowing for cooling breezes. This style of dress has not changed for thousands of years. Most of the peoples in the region are Muslim. The style of dress also matches the Islamic rules of modesty.
Sub-Saharan Africa is more varied in climate. Present day clothing is highly influenced by colonialism, both Christian and Islamic. Islamic counties in the south, Somalia, Djibouti, Comoros and Mauritania observe the rules of modesty.
Dressing Africans in European clothes to cover their nakedness was part of converting them to Christianity.<ref name="Hansen/2004"></ref> In Christian countries today, European dress is normal in cities. Indigenous styles have been adapted for Western modesty, especially for women.
In rural areas, some tribes continue to be nude according to tradition. Some tribes are returning to pre-colonial dress for some events. In certain Togolese tribal areas, it is common for big families to not wear any clothes at all for certain festivities. Others do not wear any clothes below the waist. This makes it possible for young men to see women and girls whom they may marry. Stick-fighting tournaments are very popular places to do this. The Ugandan Kavirondo tribes are a mix of Bantu and Nilotic immigrants. Traditionally, they went mostly naked. Over time, the men began wearing clothing similar to men in western culture.
In much of Asia, traditional clothing covers as much of the body as in Europe. However, the emotion felt in being improperly dressed is social embarrassment, not shame about sex.
In India, some members of the Hindu and Jain religions reject all worldly possessions, including clothing.
For a thousand years after the fall of the Roman Empire, proper behavior in Europe was defined by the Catholic Church. The church disapproved of sexual behavior outside of marriage, but was more tolerant of nudity than other Abrahamic religions. Sexual segregation was expected, but not required. Everyone other than the upper classes lived in close quarters and had more tolerance for functional nudity, sleeping and bathing without privacy. Until the Carolingian era Christians were baptized naked to show that they emerged without sin. Small groups of Christians held worship services in the nude, reclaiming the innocence of man before the fall.
The nude had been a subject of European art since the ancient Greeks, which continued in the Roman era. With the rise of Christianity, nudity almost disappeared from art during the Middle Ages except for Biblical stories such as Adam and Eve. Symbolic nudity in the fine arts increased in the Renaissance with paintings and sculpture based upon classical mythology and Biblical scenes. The rediscovery of ancient Greek culture had increased the conflicting views of nudity as good or bad.
It was leaders of the Protestant Reformation that thought nudity itself was sinful as a temptation for sexual behavior. Renaissance nude art was destroyed, or genitals were covered.
The cultural division between northern and southern Europe can be traced to the sauna. Various methods of cleaning the body by wet or dry heat (causing sweating) are found worldwide. In Finland, almost everyone has access to a sauna. Sharing a sauna with others of all sexes and ages widens the definition of private nudity. Communal bathing breaks the connection between nudity and sexual activity, which is assumed by other cultures. Instead, modesty is in behavior, such as not calling attention to one's own body, and not staring at others.
In the United Kingdom, nudity may be allowed if there is no sexual display intended to cause alarm to the viewer, or create a public disturbance.
Southern Europe views nudity differently than the north. Catholic attitudes did not eliminating classical Greek and Roman history. Mediterranean beaches were the first to adopt the bikini, and soon the topless fashion. Bathing suits for men are also minimal. Nude beaches also followed, but with a different attitude than the north. Sexuality is less suppressed, part of the enjoyment of being naked. Clothing optional recreation is less widespread than in Northern Europe.
In modern European art, the nude became a symbol that could be used to express all parts of the human condition. The images of nude women that had been created for hundreds of years by male artists are seen by many feminists as degrading to women.
Officially public nudity is disorderly conduct without a "lawful excuse". However, there is another law that a charge of nudity can only be made with the approval of the attorney general. The result is nudity by itself is rarely charged, only when there is another violation involved. There is also the context; nudity at a festival for example is not the same as in ordinary conditions. A women's right to be top-free has been established in Ontario and British Columbia.
There is one clothing-optional beach in Mexico, Playa Zipolite in Oaxaca.
America has the greatest disapproval of nudity among Western cultures, and resistance to seeing it as non-sexual. German immigrants brought naturism to the US in the 1930s, but it was limited to "nudist camps" and not widely accepted. Finnish immigrants brought the sauna and mixed nudity to some rural areas, but this became gender segregated.
Nudity was more acceptable during the "counter-culture" of the 1960s-70s. Public nudity became part of music events such as the Woodstock Festival and political events such as Vietnam War protests. There were many unofficially clothing-optional places to swim, but few legal as in Europe. In the more conservative 21st century, many swimming places are again banning nudity.
Including Australia, New Zealand and all of the Pacific islands, Oceania has both European colonial culture and many indigenous peoples. Similar to other tropical climates, clothing was minimal and removed for both work and play. Colonialism changed this, but not always as expected. The Pacific islands were colonized later than Africa and South America, and the people and cultures more romanticized.
For centuries, clothing indigenous people was part of conversion to Christianity. Rarely, traditional clothing is allowed, as on Yap island where the Catholic Church includes in some celebrations women dancing in costumes that do not cover their breasts.
A kingdom is the most common type of monarchy. This means that the ruler or head of state) of the country is a king. They get their position from inheritance. With some countries a female may become head of state as a queen.
When the current king or queen dies, then their eldest child becomes the new monarch.
For example, the United Kingdom has a king as head of state. His mother Queen Elizabeth II was, at the time of her father's death, his only child.
Not all countries have this system. Many countries today have no royal family. In their case, the head of state is a leading politician.
Protestantism is a form of Christian faith and practice. It began in northern Europe in the early 16th century. At that time, they were against some parts of Roman Catholicism. Together with Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism, Protestantism became one of the three greatest forces in Christianity. Protestantism much influenced the culture, beliefs, and economy of the place in which it became important.
Martin Luther, a doctor of theology and a monk, said that the church should return to its roots, and give more weight to what is written in the Bible (Sola scriptura). Luther thought that the Church had gone too far away from the original teachings. He published 95 theses on the way the Catholic Church was at that time. Some say, he stuck them onto the door of the church of Wittenberg, but others say this is not true. The 95 theses were published in 1516 or 1517. With the theses, he started the Protestant Reformation.
A certificate is a document for authentication of something. It may be an award that can be given to people. The certificate can be given to people for graduation, for good working skills, or to thank someone who has done good things. They are usually tied to an occupation, technology, or industry. Certifications are usually offered by a professional organization or a company that specializes in a particular field or technology. A certification demonstrates that the person have a specific skill or level of knowledge, ultimately showing an employer that person know what need to do to successfully perform a job. Other items, such as patches, badges, lapel pins, watches, and medals can also come with the certificate.
It is the main publication of the Daily Mail and General Trust, but the company also prints the "Evening Standard", "London Lite" and "Metro" newspapers in the UK.
People are often critical of The "Daily Mail, "because a lot of people think it's racist and sexist. Sources also state that it is unreliable and that it publishes inaccurate scare stories about science and medical research.
Politically the Daily Mail is right-wing. It has endorsed the Conservative Party at every UK general election since 1945, apart from one election in 1974.
The Rhine River (, , ) is long. Its name comes from the Celtic word ""renos"", which means 'raging flow'.
A winery is a place or business that makes wine. It has developed and changed for thousands of years. In wine's journey along the centuries and around the world, winery has changed, and all ends in wine production today.
The first wine-like beverage was made in around 7000 bc, in China. This is considered wine, because the beverage follows the basic rules of winery. These are to follow a certain chemistry of yeast and glucose. Glucose (CHO), a certain type of 'sugar', is consumed by yeast, the fermentation tool. Glucose is from the grapes. Then, the yeast slowly converts them to ethanol (CHOH), carbon dioxide (CO), latic acid (HCHO), hydrogen (H), and energy. The carbon dioxide and hydrogen is not used. The latic acid can be used for cheese another time. The energy is consumed by the yeast, and lastly the remaining water and ethanol is for our wine.
There are different types of grapes, yeast, and climate for the grapes to grow, so vintners (people who make wine) have a hard time choosing and experimenting on different flavours of wine. There were many processes too, in the old times. In ancient Egypt, slaves or workers crushed juice out of grapes, and put them in pots and jars. The juice is left to ferment. In some ancient wineries, grapes were fermented with wild yeast, which is already on grapes without human activity. Other wineries use selected yeast, which are cultivated by humans.