Calendar shows 12 faces of Putin

MOSCOW, Russia -- While the West may have Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears, in Russia there is only one calendar star for 2002: President Vladimir Putin.

The large-format calendar, 60cm by 90cm and issued in a limited edition of 1,000 copies, shows Putin looking variably stern, smiling or thoughtful, depending on the month.

One even shows Putin sitting cross-legged in his white judo outfit.

I know it's old news, but c'mon. You know you want to see it.

Rotary's 2007 calendar bares all but the X-rated details

Now Gresham [Oregon] has caught on to the naked calendars craze. ...

The Gresham Rotary Club's 2007 calendar features 16 local businessmen and women baring it all -- well, almost all -- in an effort to boost fundraising for high school scholarships. And while the idea rankles some members, the calendars are proving immensely popular. ...

This year, with the help of the $20 calendar, the group hopes to raise its donation to $18,000, and it quickly is closing in on the goal. Rotary officials say 500 of the 1,500 calendars printed a week ago have been distributed.

Rotary President Tom Graves, who poses as Mr. February hiding the middle of his body under a breakfast tray, suggested the idea. Although most Rotarians and the group's board approved the idea, about 20 percent of the 70 members opposed it, Graves said. Some chose not to display or sell the calendar, and one man quit the Rotary Club.

Apparently you can't order it over the web, but if you find yourself in Gresham, pick one up for me.

"This does not portray safe"

Turns out 'Mr. August' is school superintendent
MANNING, Iowa -- A superintendent who posed as a nearly naked ''Mr. August'' in a charity calendar is rebuffing critics who say it amounts to soft-core porn.

Roger Schmiedeskamp joined other men in appearing in a calendar that will raise money for the Rotary Club.

Schmiedeskamp's image is superimposed on an old schoolhouse room behind a desk. He is shirtless and his legs are bare under the desk.

''A kid is supposed to be safe in the classroom. This does not portray safe,'' parent Kathy Swanson said.

But the school board backs the superintendent.

"You'll just dig it"

The 2007 Men of Mortuaries™ Calendar is scheduled to be available in October of 2006... Monies raised from the calendar will directly benefit KAMM foundation dedicated to the caring and assistance of people who are going through the treatment of breast cancer.

KatCanDo

Gutsy City traders to strip for cancer relief
LONDON (Reuters) - City traders are set to raise eyebrows by posing for a nude calendar to raise money for a cancer charity.

The calendar will feature 12 people posing naked but with their modesty preserved, the KatCanDo charity for colon cancer told Reuters.

KatCanDo, which was set up by Kate Coles in 2004, is still looking for more people to fill the slots.

"It's a very serious attempt to raise money," said Stephen Coles, the husband of the charity's founder. "It will be tastefully done."

Kate Coles was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2003 and died in March 2006.

See also KatCanDo

They're not naked, but...

I must mention "The Men in Uniform", featuring men, women, and dogs of the Gainesville FL police force. See the Gainesville Sun.

From the newsstand

Sydney Morning Herald | Notorious nude athletes
Louise Dobson
The Olympic Hockeyroo's bum became big news when she posed naked beside … a pear. In 1999, the Shepparton girl decided to help out the local fruit industry as the Australian Pear Industry ambassador and by posing naked. She sat back to the camera next to a pear, and so came the criticism. "Sorry, Louise. Judged as a piece of meat, the guys at work have seen juicier," wrote columnist Andrew Bolt.

EITB24 | Women over 50 challenge beauty stereotype posing for nude calendar
The models said that the calendar, called "Sin fecha de vencimiento" which means women without expiry date, was an attempt to widen the concept of beauty.