Writer Lays Bare World of Naked Yoga

From disconnecting to breathing, relieve social-media angst

(NEWSER) - Mobile devices might be great for social networking, but extreme devotion to Facebook, Twitter & Co. can lead to “Stress 2.0,” Soren Gordhamer cautions. Fortunately, he has tips for dealing with it:

• Disconnect, even just briefly. When you stop absorbing information, go outside, eat lunch, chat up a friend, he urges on Mashable (while suggesting apps that make his tips easier to accomplish.
• Breathe. Seriously, take a deep breath. You’ll feel calmer almost instantly.

Naked dining, yoga and comedy keep Big Apple residents cool

(NEWSER) - Naked dinner, yoga in the buff and comedy clubs au naturel are turning the Big Apple into Nude York City, the New York Post reports. One New Yorker rents out restaurants for monthly nude dinner parties—the motto for a group often numbering 50 is “no hot soup”—while a midtown studio has a devoted following for its twice-weekly naked yoga classes. More»

Boutique gyms push them hard and charge bigtime

(NEWSER) - Think you're in shape? Then meet the New Yorkers who endure—sorry, enjoy—two or three workouts a day, along with a full-time job and whatever family or social life they can fit in. “It’s New York, and I think that everyone’s always just trying to look better and better,” a 32-year-old working mom tells the New York Times . “Some people think it’s crazy. ... But you see so many other people doing it, you don’t feel crazy.” More»

Maine blueberries, New York bagels make ABC's odd-tax list

(NEWSER) - Federal taxes may provoke the loudest partisan bickering, but some states impose taxes that could leave you at a loss for words. Fur? Nudity? Bagels? You bet—not to mention blueberries and playing cards. ABC News rounds up a few of the weirdest:

• Blueberries: Maine, which produces 99% of all US blueberries, taxes them in lots of ways: buying, selling, processing, handling, growing... everything but eating them.

Likens naked Ted Kennedy to 'walrus'

(NEWSER) - Admit it—you've always wondered what Ted Kennedy looked like naked. Wonder no longer: In his new book, Life Among Cannibals, former senator Arlen Specter includes more than you ever needed to know about nudity on Capitol Hill. Among the highlights, from the Washington Post :

• "For years when (people) groused about Senate perks, I’d reply, 'You wouldn’t say that if you had to see Ted Kennedy naked in the gym.'"
• On Kennedy getting in the whirlpool: "It was as though a giant walrus had plunged into the sea, causing the level to swell."