In a story posted on Medium today (February 7, 2019), Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos claims that Surfer Magazine, Transworld Snowboarding, and Transworld Skateboarding’s new parent company American Media (through its tabloid The National Enquirer) has threatened to publish photos of Mr. Bezos’ penis “as well as nine other images” if Mr. Bezos didn’t call the Washington Postoff its investigation of American Media CEO David Pecker’s relationship with Donald Trump, according to a story on the Huffington Post.
Here’s a little of what Mr. Bezos is claiming:
I was made an offer I couldn’t refuse. Or at least that’s what the top people at the National Enquirer thought. I’m glad they thought that, because it emboldened them to put it all in writing. Rather than capitulate to extortion and blackmail, I’ve decided to publish exactly what they sent me, despite the personal cost and embarrassment they threaten. . . They said they had more of my text messages and photos that they would publish if we didn’t stop our investigation.
Usually these stories that have nothing to do with skateboarding, snowboarding, or surfing would be well outside our “lane.” But last week’s sale brings it all home to our world. Think about it? This suggests that those left at what once was TEN are now in a not-so-roundabout way working for the Trump Administration, forcing action sports marketing people to ask themselves, “Do we really want to support Donald Trump by spending advertising and marketing dollars with American Media in light of all this?”
We can say this: if this is how American Media does business, then the people who had their jobs eliminated last week are the lucky ones.
Pro skateboarder Rob Loriface is facing federal criminal drug charges after a raid of his Encinitas, California home in September 2018 found “heroin, methamphetamine and hundreds of Xanax pills,” according to a story on NBC San Diego.
Scattered throughout the master bedroom of Lorifice’s home, deputies retrieved small plastic baggies, Roxicodone pills, Xanax, marijuana, mushrooms, packing materials, as well as a digital scale. . . In all, deputies seized 231.6 grams of heroin, 193 grams of meth, and 196 grams of marijuana, as well as $16,824 from the skateboarder’s home.
Loriface reportedly said that the drugs were “left at his house by someone else . . . and he was afraid to get rid of them” according to a federal complaint. Would be great if that is true. He is being charged with “possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute” and is currently out on bail.
With all this news about Bam Margera having a baby, then getting arrested, and then getting shipped off to rehab with a little help from Element’s Johnny Scillereff, the datapoint that keeps tripping us up is this — it was Bam’s first DUI!
Americans have overwhelmingly spoken out against the Trump Administration’s unprecedented attempt to shut down our national monuments. The Administration’s unlawful actions betray our shared responsibility to protect iconic places for future generations and represent the largest elimination of protected land in American history. We’ve fought to protect these places since we were founded and now we’ll continue that fight in the courts. – Rose Marcario, President and CEO, Patagonia
Sad news from Pauoa, Hawaii. The Star Advertiser is reporting that Gerald Aikau, 42, the nephew of big wave surfing legend Eddie Aikau, was found dead on the Aikau family property the morning of June 13, 2017. Inside a cottage his 7-year-old son Reef was also found dead.
Police are investigating the deaths as a murder-suicide, pending the outcome of autopsies by a medical examiner. . . Myra said his [Gerald’s] uncle Clyde Aikau discovered Gerald’s body hanging from a tree and tried to resuscitate him but was unsuccessful. Clyde went into the cottage and found Reef and tried unsuccessfully to try to revive his nephew as well. Police, who received a call from the house at 5:45 a.m., said both the man and boy suffered “multiple injuries” with the boy injured by a sharp object.
Gerald and his wife Katherine Bullock Aikau were reportedly in the middle of a rough divorce. Our thoughts are with Clyde, Myra, Katherine, and the entire Aikau family.
Former Billabong CEO Matthew Perrin was sentenced to eight years in prison for fraud and forgery on January 27, 2017, according to a story on News.com.au.
In sentencing the 44-year-old to eight years behind bars, District Court Judge Julie Dick said he still had “no self realisation or remorse”. . . “You seem to simply refuse to recognise that it was you who forged documents and you who caused them to be presented to the bank,” Judge Dick said. . . She said he blamed his ex-wife Nicole Bricknell, the Commonwealth Bank and his former business partners.
Doesn’t sound like odd behavior for a corporate CEO. This one just got caught, it seems. But it’s not over for him. He’s 44 year old and will be eligible for parole in 2021, unless his lawyers can overturn his conviction on appeal, which is exactly what they are going claiming “the jury’s verdict ‘was unsafe and unsatisfactory’.”
Unfortunately, in Australia it seems that they don’t have special country club prisons for white-collar criminals and Perrin will be placed in Arthur Gorrie Prison with “rapists and murderers” according to a story in the Gold Coast News.
The Lunada Bay Boys are going to be down one clubhouse on the point after the Palos Verdes Estates Planning Commission voted unanimously last night (September 20, 2016) to tear the fort down, according to story in the LA Times.
. . . the structure [was] used by the notorious Bay Boys, a self-appointed gang of enforcers who people from outside the upscale community have, for decades, accused of using violence and intimidation to keep them away from the famous surf spot. . . The commission approved the motion unanimously and without comment. No one from the public spoke on the matter.
Guess the men will have to move their weekly surf protection meetings to one of their parents’ rec rooms.
Christopher Romero, 26, a manager at the Zumiez store in Atlantic City, New Jersey’s The Walk mall, was shot and killed by an acquaintance in his store Thursday, September 1, 2016, according to a story in the Press of Atlantic City.
The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office said Lewis Maisonet, 55, of Somers Point, fatally shot Christopher Romero, 26, of Absecon, at the store where Romero worked and later shot himself at White House Black Market, officials said. . . . “This was an unfortunate domestic violence … two individuals were involved … I think since this is an active investigation it would be inappropriate for me to release any additional information,” Guardian said.
The shooter has reportedly survived his self-inflicted gunshot wound. Our thoughts are with Romero’s friends and family.
You have to wonder how the Tampa Police Department can protect its citizens when their officers can’t even throw a waif of a 15-year-old kid on the ground without tripping themselves and falling in the gutter. Seriously. Is that cop impaired?
The teen is 15 years old, stands about 5’4″ and weighs maybe 120 pounds, said Patrick van Kampen, 18, who was part of about a dozen skateboarders skating on a public street that was closed off to traffic in downtown Tampa on Saturday. He also said there were no signs forbidding skateboarding.
It seems like cops are always roughest on the people who can’t fight back. Cop #1 is likely blaming the kid (who was reportedly held for 12 hours) for his sore back. For more on the story, click the link.
Was it the iconic Go Skateboarding Day image that caused all this? Or, could it be that Southern California traffic has gotten so bad that people refuse to simply sit in their cars for hours at a time. Having had personal experience with the California Highway Patrol and their strangely flawed belief that they do indeed personally own the freeways of California we can say this, just don’t get caught. If you don’t believe us, ask Don Brown.
In a story posted on Medium today (February 7, 2019), Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos claims that Surfer Magazine, Transworld Snowboarding, and Transworld Skateboarding’s new parent company American Media (through its tabloid The National Enquirer) has threatened to publish photos of Mr. Bezos’ penis “as well as nine other images” if Mr. Bezos didn’t call the Washington Post off its investigation of American Media CEO David Pecker’s relationship with Donald Trump, according to a story on the Huffington Post.
Sad news from Pauoa, Hawaii. 
Former Billabong CEO Matthew Perrin was sentenced to eight years in prison for fraud and forgery on January 27, 2017, according to a story on News.com.au.
Christopher Romero, 26, a manager at the Zumiez store in Atlantic City, New Jersey’s The Walk mall, was shot and killed by an acquaintance in his store Thursday, September 1, 2016, according to a story in the 
