by The Editors on February 17, 2008
From the Sunshine Coast Daily:
A gathering of the world’s leading surf companies next month is rapidly shaping as a test of their environmental commitment, with keynote speaker Dave Rastovich’s battle with Japanese dolphin hunters already impacting on multi-billion dollar retail sales in that country.
Rastovich, recently named the face of Billabong’s “Be The Change You Want In The World” environmental campaign, will address the Tropicsurf Summit, which is part of the 2008 Global Surf Industries Noosa Festival of Surfing from March 3-9.
[Link: The Daily]
by The Editors on February 14, 2008
Matt Skenazy spends the day with surfer/journalist Daniel Duane author of Caught Inside: A Surfer’s Year on the California Coast and finds him pretty much exactly how you’d expect to find a freelance writer: spending time with his wife and kids, visiting the Saturday farmers market and sending out queries. Matt Warshaw and Steve Hawk are quoted.
[Link: City Hill Press]
by The Editors on February 13, 2008
From The Daily Telegraph:
JAPANESE “Yakuza” gangsters have launched a campaign of intimidation to force a media blackout on the furore surrounding the country’s killing of dolphins and whales, it was claimed yesterday.
Australian surfer Dave Rastovich attracted world headlines after he and conservationists including actress Isabel Lucas travelled to the Japanese fishing village of Taiji last year to protest at its annual dolphin kill.
Rasta says:
“These are the goons from the fishing industry who are visiting surf stores intimidating people and threatening to punish them financially,” Rastovich said.
“People are feeling it. They are washing their hands of us. They don’t feel safe”.
[Link: The Daily Telegraph]
by The Editors on February 12, 2008
Guess standing out in the water holding a paddle can get pretty boring. Maybe that’s why Laird Hamilton has decided he needs a little tunage while he’s out janitoring.
H2O Audio, the leading watersports music company, announced today that Laird Hamilton has officially been appointed to its Board of Directors. As a member of the Board, Hamilton will be strategically guiding the company with marketing its brand and developing its next generation of surf/music products.
Luckily, their product is already solid.
[Link: PR Newswire]
by The Editors on February 12, 2008
The New York Daily News‘ Jim Farber says Jack Johnson’s new, darker album Sleep Through The Static has “a certain blandness to it all.” In fact, he titled his review “Jack Johnson’s surf sound wipes out in serious undertow.”
By his measure, this may mark an uptick in seriousness. But even the breeziest surfer’s soul deserves more.
Clever, huh?
[Link: New York Daily News]
by The Editors on February 11, 2008
by The Editors on February 11, 2008
Ian McDonald, 67 the founder of the Gunston 500 surf competition is apparently suing Knysna socialite Lesley Young, 62, for half of her estate as they had a “universal partnership” for seven years.
McDonald lodged his claim after Young, the wife of former Bophuthatswana finance minister Leslie Young, ended their relationship in May 2006.
It’s of course much messier than this so click the link to read the entire story.
[Link: IOL.co.za]
by The Editors on February 10, 2008
A year ago Gold Coast surfer Sam Page was celebrating his 21st birthday when he was beaten into a coma by a club bouncer. Now, he’s back in the water.
Page cannot wait to take part in the Jim Beam Surftag Series at Cronulla beach this weekend which will feature the likes of surfing legend Tom Carroll.
Congrats Sam.
[Link: The Daily Telegraph]
by The Editors on February 7, 2008
Thanks to a California Coastal Commission vote of 8-2 the Trestles Toll Road project has been officially stopped.
The panel decided that certain aspects of the project failed to meet California’s coastal regulations. Their vote prohibited transportation officials from creating the first tollway to run through a state park.
More than 3,000 people attended (click link for photos from TransWorld Surf) the hearing and officials said that was the largest turnout for any meeting in the commission’s 36-year history. Special thanks go to the efforts of the Surfrider Foundation and all the surf legends who added their support. They never gave up and without them, this never would have happened. People can make a difference.
[Link: San Diego Union-Tribune]
by The Editors on February 6, 2008
From BusinessWire:
Zumiez Inc. (NASDAQ: ZUMZ) a leading specialty retailer of action sports related apparel, footwear, equipment and accessories, today announced the company’s comparable store sales increased 1.7% for the four-week period ended February 2, 2008, versus a comparable store sales increase of 12.4% for the four-week period ended February 3, 2007. Total net sales for the four-week period ended February 2, 2008 increased 16.3% to $20.7 million, compared to $17.8 million for the four-week period ended February 3, 2007. Due to the addition of the 53rd week in fiscal 2006, January 2007 had five weeks of sales versus January 2008 which had four weeks of sales. Total net sales for the four-week period ended February 2, 2008 decreased 11.7% to $20.7 million, compared to $23.4 million for the five-week period ended February 3, 2007 due to the loss of one week of sales in fiscal January 2008.
To hear the Zumiez prerecorded January sales message, please dial (888) 317-6095 (no passcode is required).
We’re going to dial it up right now just for kicks.
[Link: BusinessWire]
