At first glance, these sponge sculptures by Etienne Gros might make you blush, screaming things like “Not Safe For Work!” or “Kids, Look Away!” But they’re sponges, people, not naked bodies, so don’t start posting angry comments just yet. And if you don’t think the naked body is a work of art, how about these naked sponges?

Link –via DesignTAXI

It took lifeguards about 30 minutes to rig a series of rescue ropes. A female lifeguard then rappelled about a third of the way down the 500-foot cliff to an exposed ledge, where the very exposed 27-year-old woman was stuck.

After hooking up the young woman in a rescue harness, the lifeguard helped her rappel to the beach several hundred feet below, where she was provided with clothing. The entire operation took about an hour from start to finish.

The young woman was unharmed, Luque said. She will not be charged for the rescue, he added.

However, the unidentified woman was ticketed for disregarding signs and entering a restricted area. Link (with partially blurred video) -via Arbroath

He said Australians based at all three stations, Davis, Casey and Mawson, take part in the traditional “Bliz Run”, which obliges the loser of any bet or dare to strip off and run a lap of the accommodation block.

“It’s only about 100m, but even 10m would seem like a long run in the conditions,” Dr Cormick said.

New Zealanders at their summer station go skinny dipping in Lake Vanda, with a plunge in the chilly water earning membership of the Royal Lake Vanda Swim Club.

The group is rumoured to include former NZ Prime Minister Helen Clark, who gained membership before she was elected.

Americans at the Amundsen-Scott base can regularly be seen emerging from the sauna to run a naked lap of the South Pole.

The deed earns membership of the 300 Club, but only if it’s done when temperatures have plunged to below -100F.

“The idea is to run from the 200F sauna, outside, so they go through 300 degrees (F) in seconds,” Dr Cormick said.

The nude pictured is an American. Link -via Fark

The nude rugby international, which started as a celebration of New Zealand’s national nude day, was held yesterday as a warm-up – although temperatures were reportedly cold enough to prove embarrassing – to the forthcoming match between the All Blacks and France.

Needless to say, there were plenty of tackles flying about with only one interruption … when a fully-clothed streaker ran on to the pitch.

Link -via Arbroath

(image credit: Stephen Jaquiery/Otago Images/Otago Daily Times)

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From the Upcoming Queue, submitted by Muppetmaker.