This year I’ve decided to test the “wisdom of the masses” and crowd-source the wagering on some of the races. I selected four races, including the Arlington Million, in which I’d like you to help decide which horses to wager on. I’ve created a survey where I list the poll position, horse’s name, origin and odds for each horse. I will wager $10 on each of the horses selected by most popular vote and report the results here on Sunday.

Place your bets… I mean, pick your horses before 8am on Saturday August 8, 2009:

Click Here to take survey

Please share this with your family and friends so we can get as many votes as possible.

~Al

It is a breathtaking – and death-defying feat – which redefines the term extreme sport.

Battling both gravity and the elements, the climber claws her way up a granite boulder by just her fingertips.

For most, the lack of ropes and safety equipment would be a perilous step too far.

But this woman has gone even further and abandoned her clothes to take part in the new sport of naked rock climbing

Looking at the pictures, my gut instinct is that these women (or it is just one woman?) are not doing this for sport but as a modeling job.  These are the thoughts that come to mind to justify my gut feeling:

• The pictures are all black and white.
• The women appear to be posing more than climbing.  It is possible that Mr. Fidelman is the pro photographer that sits quietly and waits for the right picture.  More realistically he shoots hundreds of digital photos just to get the perfect shot (or pose).
• There is no sense of real height in any of these photos.  The women could be a mere few feet off the ground.
• They don’t seem muscular enough to climb without gear.
• Why aren’t there any pictures of men climbing in the nude?

I searched for Dean Feldman via Google and l found he’s selling a book called “Stone Nudes.”  Maybe he got the idea for the book after capturing these women doing what they love, rock climbing, or maybe it was the other way around.

I think the news outlets are taking advantage of the nudity and the sensationalism of the danger, while Mr. Fidelman reaps the rewards.  By no means I am accusing Mr. Feldman of any wrongdoing.  I’m just saying “I don’t buy it.”

What do you think? Post your comments below.

- Al Degutis