I love that even in our darker times we can pause to think about how to help others less fortunate than ourselves. By taking our clothes off.  

I was very pleased to hear about MediaCom's charity 2010 calendar, apparently the proceeds have already topped £40,000 so far. Its a nice piece of work, in the Calendar Girls' style, with strategic placement of 'everyday' items like a car tyre, laundry pile and a fire extinguisher preserving the male modesty. 

As you flick through, all the pictures seem tasteful and humourous, giving a hint that this was really a fun project to be involved in. The poses are generally pretty artistic, modesty is guarded and the effect on the viewer is that this would be a fun gift for a colleague or pubescent relative. Until you get to page seven...July features an old mate of mine, Stefan Bardega. Reminded me a little of this guy. I know Stef very well, we went to school together, lived together during our twenties and often holiday together. Over all these years spent in close proximity I have successfully avoided ever seeing him naked. Until last Thursday that is. His jolly July pose is particularly brave or foolhardy and (so he claims) involved a large amount of airbrushing to remove large amounts of potential dangling embarrassment. I cannot attest to this claim.  

Anyway, I applaud them all and concede that I'd shamefully choose to make discrete charity donations over baring all to the world so I have a lot of respect for them all. Especially in the digital age when a calendar no longer just sits on the kitchen wall but can be replicated and shared to infinity for eternity. 

Which is precisely why I'm posting this up here. Sorry Stef.... 

The one thing that puzzled though, you'd hope that a savvy media agency would then also be able to market the thing. Searches for it online don't yield any more info, like who its in aid of, or indeed anywhere to buy it. I'd expect them to be blogging and tweeting the hell out of it right? Perhaps its friends and relatives only. Stef - as a mate, I don't want a calendar but I'll buy you a pint or two for making us laugh all weekend.