Melanoma vs. frostbite?

Warning: this article may or may not be the direct result of taper-madness.

According to several news reports (see, for example, this article in the New Zealand Herald), 47-year old Andrew Pointon, who was found guilty of one charge of offensive behaviour by a New Zealand court a year before, was recently cleared of charges for jogging in the nude. The judge on the case determined that there was no element of exhibitionism because Pointon, a naturist for 20 years, went out of his way to run far away from any built up area.

Meanwhile, the CBC reported that a 44-year old man caught running naked on a frozen lake in Nova Scotia this January was not charged by police, but was rather warned of the dangers of being on thin ice. The man, not named in the story, was accompanied by a 28-year old woman who was taking pictures, as the pair was reportedly working on an art project.

So to summarize:

Running naked in New Zealand: a year and two appeals later, runner is cleared of charges and headlines read “Court rules nude jogging is legal.”

Running naked in Canada: “You shouldn’t be out on that ice, buddy – it’s not safe.”

Thought for the day: I wonder if it is actually a coincidence that the generally accepted “first running boom” coincides roughly with the first “streaking fad.”