A Husk of Hares

Artwork: Georgina Warne.

Related Off-site Links:
• Seven Collective Nouns for Hares
• Husk of Hares: The Hare in Fact and Folklore

See also the previous post:
• Mysterious Assemblies

A Good Message

The following article was first published February 14, 2020 by ABC 11 News, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.

Women aren't the only ones who get caught up in body shaming. [And so] on Thursday, 15 plus-size men took over the runway on the last night of New York Fashion Week, flaunting their body positivity.

The men walked down the runway in their underwear, stomachs exposed in many cases. The message? Men's curves matter, too. The 'Ryan's Secret' initiative sponsored the event, calling for an end to male body shaming.

Ryan's Secret creative director and designer Myriam Chalek wanted to bring awareness to young men who experience depression and commit suicide because of body shaming and bullying. She also pointed to steroid abuse and men who submit themselves to punishing gym routines to attain superhero bodies.

The message was clear: End male body shaming.

Joseph Diaz [right] one of the models, says he's been passed over for jobs due to his weight.

“Just like Barbie has the same issues, Ken has even more,” Diaz said.

One model, Daniel Jean [opening image], walked in royal purple satin and wasn't afraid to show off.

“Yeah, I'm body positive,” Jean said. “I think it's a good message to show people that you love your body, you love yourself.”


Related Off-site Link:
Ryan's Secret Show Brings Awareness to Male Body Positivity

See also the previous post:
• The Naked Calendar That Celebrates Gay Men With “Ordinary” Bodies

On the Edge of Reason

In the late afternoon, I drive along to the dairy farm to gape at the hares as a sort of downtime treat. The light is declining, and a hare comes out of the field to jink on the edge of reason by coming up to examine me from about ten yards. After all, I could be predatory.

The black-tipped ears are stone-unmoving; only the twitch of her nostrils proves that blood moves within her. For a prey animal, the hare manages a persuasive aristocratic mien. In Alison Utterly's Little Grey Rabbit stories it is Hare who is aloof and authoritarian: "Where's the milk, Grey Rabbit? asked Hare. "We can't drink tea without milk."

[My dog] Edith, in the Land Rover's cab, sees the hare's impertinence and scrabbles at the window to be let out for the chase.

Oh, dear dog, you are now matronly, and have not the chance of a snowball in Hell of catching a long-legged hare that can do 40mph, yet a solid 10 for enthusiasm I think. The hare, nonetheless, detects her intent, and bounds back through its smeuse, its hole in the hedge. Hares are haplessly regular; they are easy to poach because they always exit and enter fields by the same routes.

– John Lewis-Stempel
Excerpted from The Running Hare:
The Secret Life of Farmland
pp 86-87

See also the previous posts:
• The European Hare
• Stag of the Cabbages
• Mostly Solitary
• Strong-Hearted
• Elaborate Means
• The Year of the Hare

Image: Photographer unknown.

Day 4 of the “7 Days of Sweat Challenge”

Continuing with a series of exercise videos courtesy of The Body Coach (aka Joe Wicks). These full body, equipment-free, 20-minute workouts aim to make you “feel more energized, more alert, more productive and more focused.” Plus, you’re “going to burn some body fat and feel really confident moving forward.”

To start at the beginning of this series, click here.





NEXT: Day 5

Related Off-site Links:
The Body Coach – Official Website
7 Science-based Strategies to Boost Your Willpower and Succeed With Your New Year’s Resolutions – Jelena Kecmanovic (Salon, January 2, 2020).

Winter Hare

Image: "Winter Hare" by Hilary Salomon.

See also the previous posts:
• Winter Hare 2017 | 2016 | 2014 | 2011
• Snow Is in the Air
• In Winter Field
• Across Snow-blanketed Grass
• Winter Rest

Pole

I can appreciate why [pole-dancing or simply "pole"] has a greater appeal to gay men like me. Beyond its focus on style over brute force, pole hasn’t completely shaken its deviant origins. It came from the fringes of society, and for a lot of gay men this feels familiar; we know what it’s like to unite around something others see as taboo. . . . [T]here’s something queer about pole.

– Bo Franklin
Excerpted from "Are You Man Enough to Pole-Dance?"
1843 Magazine
March 27, 2019

Related Off-site Links:
The Passion of a Male Pole Dancing Champion – Cynthia R. Greenlee (Narratively, March 28, 2018).
Male Pole Dancers Are On the Rise – Diane Passage (The Huffington Post, May 25, 2011).
Pole Dancing for Males – What You Should Know About Pole Dance Classes – Masha (Basic Invert 78, February 20, 2018).

Images: The Leveret (Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – February 5, 2020).

The Mexican Hare

The white-sided jackrabbit (Lepus callotis), also known as the Mexican hare, is a jackrabbit found in a limited range in North America, from southern New Mexico to northwestern and central Mexico. The animal is considered threatened in New Mexico, with its numbers in decline in recent years.

Most activity of the white-sided jackrabbit occurs during the night or at dusk, particularly on clear nights with bright moonlight. Its activity may be limited by cloud cover, precipitation, and wind, but temperature has little effect. Its escape behavior consists of alternately flashing its white sides when running away. The white-sided jackrabbit, when escaping, makes rather long, high leaps. When startled by or alarmed by a predator, it leaps straight upwards while extending the hind legs and flashing the white sides. In its resting position, a white-sided jackrabbit is camouflaged with its surroundings. The long hind legs and feet are adapted for speed, giving the animal lift and an ability to run in a zig-zag fashion that surpasses its pursuers. The long ears serve to locate sound, as well as regulate temperature when they are raised like a fan to catch passing breezes in hot conditions. The eyes, like those of most nocturnal or crepuscular animals, are laterally arranged, giving them a complete field of vision (360°). As a result, approaching danger can be perceived in advance.

– Source

See also the previous posts:
• The Rabbit That's Actually a Hare
• The Hares of the Americas
• Tough Dudes