End of April 2009 Update

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Follow Sirj Skateboarding on Twitter

Hey party people, you can now follow the latest and greatest musings of this site and more via my official sirj skateboarding twitter account. Follow me and everyone else in the world on twitter and stay updated faster than checking this site 100 times a day.

Or you can subscribe via rss feed, I don't know, it's up to you.

You can now check out our official Sirj Skateblog Twitter.

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Feel Free Skateboarding Trailer

Nate Broussard, Mark Gutterman, Mike Barker, Gantry Hill and Garrett Hill star in the new Aleks Lewandowski video, Feel Free. The trailer is here and you're going to not want to miss this one, it looks stellar.


Feel Free Trailer from Feel Free Skateboarding on Vimeo.

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Sean Cullen San Francisco Footage

Sean Cullen shines in this bit of footage coming out of San Francisco, not for the faint of heart.



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End of the Month Comic Book Thing

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Brian Azzarello Interview with Publisher's Weekly

Brian Azzarello has set up the end of 100 Bullets for Vertigo comics and it's interesting to see that he's getting media attention. Azzarello recently sat down with Publisher's Weekly for a full interview:

After ten years of working on the Vertigo comic book series 100 Bullets, writer Brian Azzarello and artist Eduardo Risso have fired their last round. With the 100th and final issue of the crime comic released less than a week earlier, Azzarello talked to PW Comics week about letting go of the long-running noir series, and the new work he has on the way from the new Vertigo Crime imprint.

You can check out the full interview at the official Publisher's Weekly website.

Converse Skateboarding Promo Video #2

Converse skateboarding, basically Nike, has another promo for their upcoming skateboarding video. Check this mess out:


CONVERSE SKATEBOARD SQUARE SECOND TEASER from DROPS.TV on Vimeo.

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Nike Sb European Team in Italy Video

Here you go, the Nike Sb European squad tearing it up in Italy. I know, I say that NIKE SB sucks a lot, but come on, they are repping hard and if they are getting paid...fine. I wish I got paid.



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North Kakalaka 2009 Skate Video

Here is a sweet bit of footage from several riders making a nice road trip from Canada to North Carolina for 10 days of skateboarding! This is the first time they taped it, and it looks awesome.


North Kakalaka spring 2009 from Filmerian on Vimeo.

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Maestro Knows Air Yeezy Skate Video

Here you go, Meastro Knows episode 6 featuring a test drive of Nike's Air Yeezy shoes...not made for skateboarding, but skateboarding anyways. Now that's the ticket!


Maestro Knows - Episode 6 (Air Yeezy Skate) from Maestro Knows on Vimeo.

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Batman Yard Sale Video

Here we go, Batman (Adam West) is having a little yard sale right outside the Bat Cave. Hey, times are tough and even Batman needs to sell off a few things.

Batman Garage Sale with Adam West from Adam West

Dr. Manhattan Video Game Video

The Watchmen news just keeps on rolling through. This time there is a video spoof of a Doctor Manhattan video game, and it's hilarious! Check out the video game below...oh and it's fake...

Christian Books Don't Sell

News broke out today that the Christian Consumer Book Show has been canceled for next year. The event was touted as one of the better Christian consumer book shows, and had a built in audience of reading giants. Being a Christian myself, I know how much reading goes on in a lot of churches, and this is a blow to the reading community.

However, this might open up some of these Christian publishers to re-evaluate their goals and maybe come up with new ideas to help associate them into a broader market share of topics instead of trivializing their market to just "christian".

I don't even think I made sense on that paragraph. Ouch.

I think it's safe to say that not every Christian book is doing well. In fact, I'm even willing to bet that it's a hard market to get into because Christians will either love or hate your book and you could get shutdown very quickly if your not one of the top selling Pastor's or even a Pastor of a megachurch doing the writing.

So maybe this isn't that much of a shocker to most people, but it definitely will hit hard to the Christian book community.

***NOTE

Just so no one starts to leave or throw stones at me, I read a wide variety of books. I'm reading Scalped Volume 2, Needful Things, and The Education of Richard Rodriguez, so don't think I'm a closed minded idiot. I just thought this news was interesting to share.

Src - Publishers Weekly

Bones San Francisco Team Skate Montage

The Bones team steps it up a notch with this montage of footage from the San Francisco crew. Don't sleep on Bones, they have a lot of talent, and this is just a taste of what they can do.



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Billy Marks Ballin Skate Video

Billy Marks comes shining through in this video at the notorious Berrics complex. He's just like WWE superstar MVP, he's BALLIN!



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Dave Gravette & Taylor Bingaman Strange Notes Video

Here you go, a nice little piece of skateboarding glory, all via Strange Notes. Dave Gravette and Taylor Bingaman skateboarding like there's no tomorrow!

Daredevil Noir #1

Marvel has come out with a new series of Daredevil comics. This new series, Daredevil Noir, features a throwback of art and style to a more gritty Daredevil series.

That being said, I decided to get a hold of some of the interiors, and to top it off, I got the SPANISH language interiors! Yep. Click the images to get bigger sizes, and these are just to showcase how cool the artwork is.





The story isn't going to sway you too much as it is a mixture of new and old.

Alan Moore Speaks Up Again

Alan Moore has been doing a lot of talking lately. At least Newsarama.com has a complete transcript of the latest and something stood out. Moore bashes the 80's in a way, but I like it a lot. I like how when he speaks with some great things, comic book idiots come out of the woodwork with tomato's in hand ready to obliterate the writer.

I mean, one of the things that struck me about the 1980s, when we had dozens of headlines that read, “Bam! Sock! Pow! Comic Books Have Grown Up!” I don’t really agree with that. In the 1980s, as I recall them, there were a few comics that were trying very, very hard to grow up, some doing a better job of it than others. But these were a few comics. The majority of comics were the same as they had always been.

After things like Watchmen, yes, some of them got a bit darker, a bit nastier, a bit more pretentious. But they still pretty much the same comics. I don’t think that comic books grew up in the mid-1980s.

I do think that the population, many of whom had deep nostalgia for comic books they had read as children, but were ashamed of being seen reading them on the subway, think that what happened in the mid-1980s with books like Watchmen gave them an excuse to carry on reading Green Lantern, because whereas while previously people might have looked at them as though they were subnormal for reading a superhero comic, now that superhero comics had been rebranded as “Graphic Novels,” it was considered sophisticated and cutting-edge to be seen reading a comic, even if it was just a bunch of old superhero stories put together in a slicker format. It looked more grown-up; it wasn’t necessarily more grown-up, but it was put together in a way that looked more socially acceptable.

I like it. Alan Moore is smarter than you, face it.

Right On

Via Truthdig.com

Corey Duffel Strange Notes Video

Corey Duffel skateboards through this Strange Notes video...I miss 411.



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Plan B Skateboarding in Arizona Video

Plan B skateboarding trolled through Arizona with camera's rolling. So here you go Plan B skateboards in Arizona.



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LA Times 2009 Book Awards

The Los Angeles Times announced their annual Book Awards thoday, and I'm sure no one cared, but us book fiends.

Here are the winners:

Fiction:

Home by Marilynne Robinson

Current Interest:

Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency by Barton Gellman

Biography:

Ida: A Sword Among Lions: Ida B. Wells and the Campaign Against Lynching by Paula J. Giddings

History:

Hitler's Empire: How the Nazis Ruled Europe by Mark Mazower

Mystery/Thriller:

Envy the Night by Michael Koryta

Poetry:

Watching the Spring Festival by Frank Bidart

Science & Technology:

The Black Hole War: My Battle with Stephen Hawking to Make the World Safe fr Quantum Mechanics by Leonard Susskind

Young Adult Literature:

Nation by Terry Pratchett

Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction:

Finding Nouf by Zoe Ferraris

The prizes came with 1,000 dollar awards. Not bad. Now go and pick up thse books before you're the last to read them.

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70 Year Old Tagger busted

King of Spring 2009 Preview Video

Here is the latest and greatest video of King of Spring 2009. It's got skateboarding in the course, and so much more in a little preview.


King of Spring '09 Preview from Run My Game Productions on Vimeo.

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Best Selling Comic Books 4/24/09 Edition

Here is a Top 10 comics/graphic novels via amazon.com for this week. If you haven't picked these up yet, make sure you do. I'll try to find out weekly what the changes are, but who knows if I can stay consistent.

1. Dilbert 2.0: 20 Years of Dilbert
2. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
3. Watchmen
4. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
5. Diary of a Wimpy Kid
6. Star Trek: Countdown TPB
7. Secret Identity: The Fetish Art of Superman's Co-creator Joe Shuster
8. Stephen King's Dark Tower: Treachery
9. Mercy Thompson Homecoming (pre-order)
10. Huntress: Year One

This will be a weekly post if I get time to do it.

World Industries 2009 Promo Video

World Industries might be making an ill-fated comeback, or they could just be coming back stronger than ever. Here is their latest promo video, proving that they might have a trick up their sleeve after all.



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Battle at the Berrics 2 Wants You

Dude, here we go, Battle at the Berrics 2! This time though you pick the competitors and then watch them compete. I picked mine, what will you pick? go over to the official Berrics site and vote!

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The Death of Hulk

I just saw scans of the last page of the Hulk #11 that has sold out via lots of different places and they have killed The Incredible Hulk...so it seems.

Seriously, how can you kill the Incredible Hulk? I don't know but it happens. With a little disclaimer saying that you have to read Hulk #11 to find out if he's really dead. Oh and the comics are more expensive now...nice going Marvel.



See, I don't just cover Wolverine movie crap!

News src - ComicList, and scan from Ratchet's Hulk Collection (bad ass site)

Bookarmy.com Ignites Debate

Bookarmy.com is now getting some attention from all sorts of places. The new UK start up is essentially trying to make a last.fm for Books. I'm not sure how the two relate since Last.fm is real time and online, while books are offline and not on the web. Whatever the case is, the company is poised to compete with the likes of librarything.com and other book sites that are looking for social media's answer to myspace and facebook...in terms of books read or current reading.

Bookarmy.com is a London-based start-up aiming to be the last.fm of books â€" and we're gathering steam on our mission to link every book and every author on earth.

Then again, you could rely on tools such as "REVIEWS" from professionals, bloggers, and product listings on major websites like Amazon.com that feature full reviews from customers that have purchased the books in question.

Src - Boing Boing

Richard Avedon Macabre Photos

Photographer Richard Avedon is a nobody to many people. But to those in the "know" they have most likely seen impressive photo sets from the visual artist. That's what I thought when I ran into this macabre photo. Check out more of Richard Avedon's photographs at his official site.

Robotic Warfare is Here

This is going to rub a lot of people the wrong way. The development of robots for the purposes of going to war for us, has come to a limit point. There are new developments that are saying that we might have a robotic army sooner than later.

They are military robots and their rapidly increasing numbers and growing sophistication may herald the end of thousands of years of human monopoly on fighting war. “Science fiction is moving to the battlefield. The future is upon us,” as Brookings scholar Peter Singer put it to a conference of experts at the U.S. Army War College in Pennsylvania this month.

But is this just a way to make us fearful? With the new Terminator movie coming out sooner than later, it is no surprise to me that this news piece has hit the internet.

Not only that, I recently heard that consumer level robots have really slumped in sales. Is a robotic uprising really something of real, legitimate concern? I am not afraid, that's for sure.

Src - Prisonplanet.com

The Superman Complete Collection Cheap

Today you can get the special Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition DVD Box Set for 1/2 off! This thing is massive, it has 14 discs in total and three extra dvds of pure documentary and other bonus materials! You have to act really fast on this one because it's only going to be available for a short time.

If you like the site, and want to buy comics, check out our online comic book store, powered by amazon.com

Water is the new Oil

Water levels in some of the world's most important rivers have declined significantly over the past 50 years, US researchers say.

They say the reduced flows are linked to climate change and will have a major impact as the human population grows.

The only area with a significant increase in water flows was the Arctic due to a greater snow and ice melting.

The study was published in the American Meteorological Society's (AMS) Journal of Climate.

I was in college and I first heard about the Colorado river and 5 states that were trying to get influence in the water. It's a ridiculous thing to consider, but it's not something that we should ignore.

According to the BBC, the World's Major water sources are drying up.

I don't know, it just seems odd.

Kid n Play and Martial Arts part 2

Previously we showcased some interesting scans from Kid n Play comics #1, and here is part 2...the boys end up getting a little advice to go see someone in order to learn self defense.









Stay tuned for part 3 of our multi-part coverage of Kid n Play's Kung Fu adventure.

Mall Grab Skate Video Complete

Skate And Annoy forwarded me to the most epic of free videos today. At least literally...today. The video is called Mall Grab and it is put together by Steve Reeves...and here you go!


MALL GRAB from Daniel Evans on Vimeo.

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Dark Tower Treachery Hardcover Available Now

You can now get Dark Tower Treachery in Hardcover format online! That's right, the Dark Tower Series by Stephen King is available online now, and you can score a copy now.

The critically-acclaimed comic book series, inspired by Stephen King's seminal Dark Tower, continues with DARK TOWER: TREACHERY #3 (of 6)! Join the chart-topping team of writers Robin Furth & Peter David, artists Jae Lee & Richard Isanove, along with special guest variant cover artist Gabriele Dell'Otto, as they continue to present the exciting adventures of Roland Deschain and his ka-tet! When the evil wizard Marten Broadlock pays a visit to Gabrielle, he subtly influences her to kill her own husband, Steven Deschain, ruler of Gilead! But what happens when there is another mysterious figure with the same intentions? Steven will have to use all his might and prowess if he hopes to survive such threats. To make matters worse, his son, the young gunslinger Roland, is lost under the spell cast by looking into the sphere called Maerlyn's Grapefruit. And what he sees was never meant for the eyes of a mortal!

Don't miss the book ComicsBulletin.com calls, "An absolute blast to follow month by month."

Adam Chapman of Comixtreme.com raves, "The artwork here is fantastic…Isanove really takes his game to a whole new level each and every issue that he colors…Brilliant work."

What will be the fate of Steven Deschain? Does Roland have what it takes to break free from the evil sphere's trance? Witness Stephen King's magnum opus like you never have before with Dark Tower: Treachery #3 (of 6), in stores this week!

src - Marvel.com

OH and just when you thought I was selling out (which I am i guess) here are some interior shots of The Dark Tower comic "Treachery".

Baby Preacher

Wow, this takes a page right out of the movie Jesus Camp. This baby preacher is hitting the viral video circuit and why not right? I don't like it. I guess it could be interpreted as "cute"...wait wait...is this the movie about babies that are geniuses?

Adam Carolla Radio Podcast

If you haven't heard Adam Carolla and his syndicated show got the boot from radio. The radio station he was doing the show from turned to a Top 40 hits station, something that is HUGE right now, I guess. That and Spanish music stations are king right now. So Adam Carolla got fired but he is getting paid through the year via his contract with Radio.

So what?

Well Adam Carolla is doing a free podcast and it's rad. He just lets it fly, and if you're a fan of his, you should get it. I listen to it every morning, it's 1 hour or so and it's good.

Check out the official Adam Carolla podcast and listen in on an American Genius.

Nike SB May 2009 Releases

The latest and greatest Nike SB skate shoes are out and available online. You should definitely check these out, here are a few shots of what's available for May 2009 Nike Sb.









For more photos, and more links, check out Ctothejl.com, they get photo credit and they have way more shots of shoes and skate stuff.

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Wired Interview With Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman has been commissioned to write the new final book in the Death of Batman series.

Acclaimed writer Neil Gaiman is burying Batman, but not before he pens a final "love letter" to the Dark Knight.

Gaiman, picked by DC Comics to handle Batman's final appearance in the publisher's long-running monthly Detective Comics, almost didn't take the gig. But his high regard for the 70-year-old superhero made this an opportunity he couldn't skip.

"I found myself saying things like, 'I don't have time' and 'I have sworn to never write mainstream comics again,'" the 48-year-old literary titan told Wired.com by phone from his Addams Family-style residence in Minneapolis. "But I ended up saying, 'Of course I'm there!"

I'm a huge fan of Neil Gaiman, but not so much a fan of DC ending the Batman storylines to focus on...dare I say....Bat Woman? Lame. Read more on this and other crap via Wired Magazine Online.

Alan Moore Reading Rorschach's Journal

Alan Moore reads Rorschach's Journal in this video, so they are claiming, and it is creepy. Seriously creepy. I watched the Motion Comic version of Watchmen and this is way creepier than that or even the movie!

Blvd Skateshop Arena Montage

Boulevard Skateshop had a contest in the an arena in Canada was sponsored by DGK, Anti-hero, and Spitfire. Via the S&J Sales Skateboard Distro Blog here is a recap of the video.



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Everybody Must Get Stoned by R.U Serious

I was reading Boing Boing, as I usually do every morning and ran into a post about this cool book that details some stories from the Rock & Roll world. A lot of it is disheartening but entertaining none the less about rockstars and their drug addictions. Everybody Must Get Stoned by R.U Serious is an interesting take on the backstage antics of rockstardom. It's really something that everyone would be interested in, since everyone listens to music, and so many people are discussing the legalization of Marijuana and the likes.

Here is a review of the book from Booklists to you:

Sirius’ patented zaniness, a little forced from time to time, makes for a not-altogether-serious disquisition on the intersection of the rock-star lifestyle and recreational substance abuse. So what? The text, mostly articles accompanied by lists (of rock stars on coke, rock stars on ecstasy, etc.), skips right along. Sirius’ “rankings” in various categories occasionally owe more to name-checking for big stars than any sort of logic, but he does cover a lot of ground entertainingly. Certain names get dropped in relation to more than one drug. Keith Richards and the Grateful Dead, for instance, score consistently, and Sirius manages to place James Brown and Charlie Daniels cheek-by-jowl in a list of rock stars against drugs—closer than they ever came corporeally or musically. Some rankings seem obvious. Number one rock star on weed? Bob Marley, for whose religion ganja is, of course, a sacrament. Also on deck: Nixon’s war on drugs, Sir Paul McCartney’s weed-ophilia, and more pithy hip-hop-star anecdotes than you could shake a spliff at. Good, clean fun.



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Ancient Books Free

Today it was announced that many old time books are now going online for free. That's right you can now go through old texts and read along with what people were writing long ago.

"The BBC is reporting that the United Nations' World Digital Library has gone online with an initial offering of 1,200 ancient manuscripts, parchments and documents. To no great surprise, Europe comes in first with 380 items. South America comes in second with 320, with a very distant third place being given to the Middle East at a paltry 157 texts. This is only the initial round, so the leader board can be expected to change. There are, for example, a lot of Sumerian and Babylonian tablets, many of which are already online elsewhere. Astonishingly, the collection is covered by numerous copyright laws, according to the legal page. Use of material from a given country is subject to whatever restrictions that country places, in addition to any local and international copyright laws. With some of the contributions being over 8,000 years old, this has to be the longest copyright extension ever offered. There is nothing on whether the original artists get royalties, however."

src - Slashdot.org

If you're interested you can check out the World Digital Library and read so much that your brain will explode. Ok maybe not that much, but it's interesting to note.

Free MP3 Downloads

Apparently, studies show that people who download music illegally are 10 times more likely to purchase music.

WHAT?

This is the greatest fear of the industry right? Nope.

Then again, I must wonder why record labels and stores are closing down.

Think of the math for a moment. If people downloading music grosses numbers in the millions, than by that ideology, would there be millions of records sold? I mean they are 10 times more likely to buy music right?

Wrong.

The numbers are obviously flawed here, and if you download music, why? I don't download music, I like buying vinyl, and cd's. I have an ipod and a zune but there is nothing like a vinyl record popping and hissing. There is nothing like having a physical cd in my hands.

As a graphic designer, I find it terrible that I can't be creative for people because it's now obsolete. I mean if you're not buying cd's why should the band hire a graphic designer? Lame, huh?

I make no sense.

Check out more on this study via The Guardian.

Broketape Issue 7 Skate Video

Broketape Issue #7 comes out swinging to provide you with some good skateboarding. You see, it's all about that DIY stuff...have you learned nothing? Check out the video and enjoy the nice day out there.



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Girl Project Red Part 2

Girl skateboards once again comes out with a nice collaboration skate deck for Project Red.



Andy Jenkins and Girl put up this graphic for the massive Aids in Africa movement (anti-AIDS)there are currently Two limited edition Girl Mike Carroll decks and they aren't half bad.



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World's Cheapest Textbooks Online

This post has been posted on sir jorge dot net

The Whuffie Factor by Tara Hunt

New books come out all the time, and sometimes they just hit below the radar. Here is a good case for me personally. Here is a new book with a cool rift at culture. The book is readily available everywhere. Here is a snippet from BoingBoing.net's review about the book:

Tara Hunt's The Whuffie Factor is a quick, insightful update to books like The Cluetrain Manifesto, the seminal work that described the means by which conversations were conducted online and advised companies on how to join the conversation without seeming smarmy or patronizing. As Hunt points out, Cluetrain preceded the rise of blogging, not to mention Twitter, social networking services, and all the other key elements of modern online conversation.

This looks promising. I'm always a fan of books that regard culture and technological trends and phenomena. Check out this book before you're last to read it, like many other books. (Sorry)



Can't find this book in your local store? Don't want to pay high prices on books? Check out our online book store and save money on your books. Or simply go to Amazon.com and search the massive database of books out there. Click here to visit the official Reading Rec store powered by Amazon.com

Who is Mark Twain Video

News has come out that someone out there is publishing a book of previously unpublished pieces by Mark Twain called WHO IS MARK TWAIN? This is an interesting little piece of news. Apparently, a UK publisher is going to push through a book of unpublished pieces of work from Mark Twain. This announcement via BoingBoing, comes with a nice video for you to watch called "Who is Mark Twain".

Enjoy:


Who is Mark Twain? from Flash Rosenberg on Vimeo.

Sound familiar? It's John Lithgow.

UFO In The Holy Land

What's this? A UFO in Tel Aviv? This is scary...



Or is it a hoax? That's the thing you have to consider in all these Alien things. I don't know, I'm always skeptical about this stuff.

Link src - paranormalactivities.net

Blog and Go To Jail Update!

Remember that post about the South Korean blogger that was going to jail for blogging? No, you probably don't read much of the site and if you're seeing this now, you probably just visited to drop your entrecard card and that's it.

Anyways, the update is nice, the blogger has been Acquitted!

Full Wolverine Leaked Movie

You wanted it, you got it! I've gotten a copy of the full wolverine leaked movie right here right now. Just stream the new Wolverine movie before it hit theaters right here right now below:

Wolverine ENTIRE MOVIE Leaked Online - watch more funny videos

Yep. If you got it you got it, if not, you're dumb

Privatizing Police Forces

"...and away we go..." - The Joker

It has come to my attention that there is a new idea for law enforcement going around. Private firms are being hired to secure violent neighborhoods. This is a scary thing. If you are not careful you might find out that your freedoms will be violated by private companies, and sooner than later we are going to be controlled.

The City of Oakland has decided to hire a private security firm to police some of its most violent areas. And they are not alone in considering private firms for security work.

It is a scary thing to have cities in our country in such despair that they must hire outside enforcement to gain an upper hand in the urban chaos that is going on. Oakland, California is the new "Compton" or "South Central" to those that have never been to the Southern California ghetto's.

The City Council recently voted to hire International Services Inc., a private security agency, to patrol crime-plagued districts. While a few Oakland retail districts previously have pooled cash to pay for unarmed security services, using public funds to pay for private armed guards would mark a first for the city.

Hiring private guards is less expensive than hiring new officers. Oakland — facing a record $80 million budget shortfall — spends about 65% of its budget for police and fire services, including about $250,000 annually, including benefits and salary, on each police officer.

In contrast, for about $200,000 a year the city can contract to hire four private guards to patrol the troubled East Oakland district where four on-duty police officers were killed in March. And the company, not the city, is responsible for insurance for the guards. - The Wallstreet Journal

We are going to be facing off against vigilantes, but they are paid to do the job. A scary thought.

Consider this the first warning.

Or don't.

Maybe this is an isolated incident.

Src - Prisonplanet.com, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal

Zarosh Documentary Video

This is the coolest little documentary that I've seen in a long time. It's a 20 minute documentary/editorial piece on a skateboarder named Zarosh. This guy is DIY skateboarding and while I don't buy the whole meditation thing, I do like the guy's ethic and skateboarding. I wish more skateboarders thought this way.



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Jackie Chan Hates Chinese People

What's this? Jackie Chan misquoted? I'm not sure but this is somewhat serious for the action star if word gets out.

Jackie Chan has triggered controversy by claiming Chinese people are so chaotic they need to be firmly controlled by the government.

The actor told a forum on the southern Chinese island of Hainan, whose attendees included Wen Jiabao, the Chinese prime minister, he was not sure “freedom” was necessary.

Chan, 55, whose latest movie, Shinjuku incident, was banned in China, was asked about censorship and restriction on the mainland. He expanded his comments to discuss Chinese society in general.

I'm not going to agree with Jackie Chan, but come on. This is interesting to say the least. Jackie usually doesn't get into politics, and rightfully so, maybe it's not popular for someone to speak their mind.

Src - Prison Planet

Chuck Palahniuk: Playboy Interview

I used to laugh at jokes from my coworkers in the construction industry (at the time I was working construction) about them reading the articles. Then I found out that Playboy does have some great interviews and articles. Case in point, Chuck Palahnuik's interview with Playboy. There is also a video that comes along with it, and it's really not half bad.

“I was very young. I must have been four or five years old,” explains Chuck Palahniuk. “One day I was alone at our house with my father, and I put a washer around my finger and it got stuck. I waited until my finger got swollen and black and it had lost all feeling, because I knew I would be in trouble. Eventually I went to my father and asked him to help me. He said, ‘I’ll help you out this once, but if you do this again, you know, it’s your problem.’ He had me help him get a hatchet we used for killing chickens and sharpen it. We washed it with rubbing alcohol so it was sterile. We went to the chopping block, and my father had me kneel down and put my hand on the block. I was thinking, my father’s doing me a favor, and I deserve this. He said, ‘Hold still,’ and he swung the ax and just missed my finger.”

- Excerpt from the Interview

If you're not too keen on "playboy" at all, don't go there. I can re-assure you that the link doesn't send you to porn. I read the interview, I watched the video and I thought it was safe for work, safe for me and my kids...although I have no kids, and don't think it's terrible.

That being said, you can check out the full interview on the official Playboy site. However, remember that Chuck Palahniuk wrote "Snuff", "Fight Club" and other books that you might not think worthy of your reading due to the graphic nature of his books. So use your brain, and if you're offended, don't go. If you like Chuck Palahniuk and his work, then check out the link.

So here you go, Playboy's Interview with Chuck Palahniuk.

Jesus Christ Incarnate Has Birthday

A cult is easy to spot sometimes. However, no one seems to care sometimes, and I wonder why. I mentioned this guy many times to different people and all they did was shrugged. So now that he is getting news media outlets writing stories about him, with videos, I start to get a little more worried.

A man claiming to be Jesus Christ reincarnated had a birthday party Friday. Hundreds gathered in Golden Gate to celebrate their Christmas - the birthday of a Miami man who says he is Jesus Christ the man.

I'm not going to sit here and say I know it all. However, this bugs me, because no one is openly condemning this guy on a broader scale.

Maybe by virtue of me talking about it, I'm garnering him more interest? If nothing else I just want to warn anyone that might be fooled by cults. This is way out there...yet people believe.

src - Religion News Blog, Winknews

Neil Gaiman's Blueberry Girl Video

Gaiman's "Blueberry Girl": a benediction for a girl's happy life and read by none other than Neil Gaiman. I don't need to fluff this up more do I?

Fernando Vincente Anatomical Artwork

Fernando Vincente presents Vanitas...a collection of works that are anatomic and yet beautiful. It's like looking inside someone...and seeing...well check out the artwork.



You can see more of this via Street Anatomy Online

Rape in the Military

I once read a story about a woman who had been raped by members of her own group in the military. I know isolation is insane, but there is no excuse for hurting a fellow soldier. It's heartbreaking to think that women that sign up for the military have to deal with such a crazy situation, and most of the times, silenced.

This isolation, along with the military’s traditional and deep-seated hostility towards women, can cause problems that many female soldiers find as hard to cope with as war itself— degradation and sexual persecution by their comrades, and loneliness instead of the camaraderie that every soldier depends on for comfort and survival.

It boggles the mind that there are men so barbaric that they would sexually assault women that are their fellow soldier. It saddens me greatly.

Src - BBC News

Sk8mafia Ams Video Trailer

Not everyone out there is professionals, some are just good...they are called AMS. This is a video featuring some AMS from SK8mafia...if you don't know, then get educated. Here you go...



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Sk8mafia Ams Video Trailer

Not everyone out there is professionals, some are just good...they are called AMS. This is a video featuring some AMS from SK8mafia...if you don't know, then get educated. Here you go...



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Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galeano

People are going nuts about this book. Apparently, Hugo Chavez gives this book to Obama and it hits the #2 slot on amazon. Do you have this book? I read Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galeano in high school, and read it again in college. It's not the newest information about Latin America and how it has been assimilated of sorts. I liked this book, but I didn't think this was going to get too much attention, and now? It's coming through to the American public which isn't half bad.

I guess we should have more media attention on books, and then people would read more. That's all I personally ever want with this blog and stuff that I write. Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galeano is a recommended book in terms of culture, and it's in the news, so don't be left behind.



Can't find this book in your local store? Don't want to pay high prices on books? Check out our online book store and save money on your books. Or simply go to Amazon.com and search the massive database of books out there. Click here to visit the official Reading Rec store powered by Amazon.com

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Where'd You Go? Music Video

The guys in The Mighty Mighty Bosstones earned their stripes the hard way. They played shows up and down the nation and then when the Ska craze boomed in the late 90's they got signed to a major record label. They released a few albums on a major label before interest waned and they just dropped off with the rest of the ska tragedies.

Today's video is The Might Mighty Bosstones classic single "Where'd You Go" from the record that came out July 15, 1994 on cd. The single had a few cover songs on it and it was original put out on the almighty vinyl! Check out the video for the track that made it all the way to the "Clueless" soundtrack.



I saw this video on a vhs tape that I bought/stole from the video store that I worked at. It was pretty cool, and I still have it. It's somewhat rare and really out of print.

Etnies Fall 2009 Preview

For those of you that counted Etnies out, wake up! Here is a little preview of their line up. I think they are going to knock em dead, the Black Label collab might be my next shoes. My Lakai Kost-One's are terrible. Free, but terrible.









Yeah! These are some solid shoes, so check out your local diehard skate shop...not your local snow/surf/skate store...Skate SHOP! I know, they are rare.

Src - CtotheJl.com, Transworld Biz
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Vin Diesel Is A Nerd

Just when you thought action star Vin Diesel is nothing more than a meat head. You find out that he was a huge NERD! That's right, Vin Diesel, the action star was a big D&D fan as a kid and was a total geek/nerd. Here is video proof:



Yeah Boy!

Src - Console Hopping

Zombie Tales #1

Looks like things are going a little better for Zombie comic books. That's right, Zombie comics are all the rage. Marvel Zombies is not just the only ones. Here is a story from Zombie Tales #1 and it's not half bad. Click the images to get larger ones, and enjoy.

Albert Nyberg Ten Years of Happiness Video

One of my personal favorite skateboarding sites, in a different language, put up this wonderful video, so I put it here for you guys.



Check out Idoskateboarding.blogspot.com for other cool vids...

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Augor Skate Deck Promo Video

Here you go, the new Augor skate deck with video footage to back it!


AUGSDRAWS from CRAZYCHRISFILMS on Vimeo.

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Hi Fi Wheels Frequency Promo Video

Here you go, Hi Fi Wheels full promo video, for you to enjoy. Stereo Skateboards and Hi Fi Wheels....nice.


Hi Fi Wheels "Full Frequency Promo" from Stereo Sound Agency on Vimeo.

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Wolverine Sells Out

It wasn't enough to have "Mutant Berry" Slurpees at 7-11 now we have to contend with the great big "Got Milk" collaboration from Marvel Comics and the new Wolverine Movie.

I know that I can't say that Wolverine is selling out, but come on, this is getting ridiculous. I also think that the movie leak was intentional, as I'm quite the skeptic about these things. It was an inside job! Anyways, here is the ad...that is lurking.

Pastor Beaten and Tazed At Border

So our borders are dangerous? They are being used to smuggle people, drugs and so much more. So we need to watch the Mexican border more...even though the terrorists that we fear came through a fence-less Canadian border.There might be more to this story, there might not be, I don't know. However, this is another example of how the U.S is FAILING to protect anything. Plus, 20 years ago in the trunk of a car I came to this country.

Pastor Steven Anderson of Tempe, Ariz., says he was Tasered, assaulted and denied medical treatment after he refused to submit to a search by Border Patrol officers at an immigration checkpoint east of San Diego. The ACLU has called the area a “Constitution-free zone” where such abuse has become commonplace.

Here is a video account of this brutal situation.



src - Truthdig.com

Circa La Coka Nostra Shoe Collaboration

Brooklyn Projects has collaborated with Circa shoes to produce a special La Coka Nostra skate mid. This is so rad. Check out the photo below, and then get more info at the src link. This is rad.



Src - Brooklyn Projects

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