Nike plans to eliminate 4 percent of their 35,000 person work force (about 1,400 jobs) according to a story on Oregonlive.com.
The decision to reduce our work force is a difficult one, but it will put our business in the strongest position possible to continue to deliver long-term profitability and growth,” President and CEO Mark Parker said in a statement. . . . The layoffs would be Nike’s first since 1998 and 1999, when the company cut about 2,500 positions — but not the first belt-tightening measure of this recession. Late last year, Nike executives instituted a hiring freeze, reined in travel spending and said they would slow their plans for opening new stores in 2009.
Another analyst who follows Quiksilver’s stock has downgraded her rating thanks to Quik’s rather large debt, according to a story in the Orange County Business Journal.
Caris & Co. analyst Claire Armstrong Gallacher downgraded Quiksilver’s stock to “average” from “above average,” saying the company’s profits are “at risk” due to its heavy debt and the retail sector’s downturn. . . . “Given the large debt burden, tight credit markets and worsening consumer spending trends we would recommend investment in companies with debt free balance sheets,” Gallacher wrote.
News reports are pointing out that Tony Hawk is now the only sports figure appearing in the Guitar Hero “Risky Business” ad who has not had a major career PR snafu, according to a story in the New York Daily News.
This quartet of superstars is made up of a steroid cheater (A-Rod), a bong-toking swimmer (Phelps), a hoopster once accused of rape (Bryant) and the squeaky-clean – at least for now – skateboarder.
Thanks, Tony. For once the skateboarder is the good guy.
It was Ryan Sheckler Fight Night at The Grove in Anaheim and apparently former pro skater, satellite radio DJ and all around funny guy Jason Ellis won his match by submitting “Tony Gianopulos with a guillotine choke in the second round.”
Apparently, MMA is the new skateboarding. Yes, that was Sal Masekela on the mic.
Dean Spunt and Randy Randall, the guys behind No Age, were recently named music “team managers” for Altamont’s Spring 2009 limited edition catalog, according to a story on Pitchfork.
Twice a year, Altamont issues a catalog highlighting that season’s line that comes with an exclusive 10″ vinyl record. Starting with the Spring 2009 collection, Spunt and Randall are in charge of curating what bands contribute to that 10″. Naturally, their first one features music from No Age themselves. The 10″ includes “Goat Hurt”, from an early EP, their cover of Björk’s “It’s Oh So Quiet” from Stereogum’s Björk covers project, and “Recovery and Everything Else”, which according to Spunt, is the “isolated noise track” from “Everybody’s Down”.
Apparently, music makes the Altamont world go ’round.
It’s a bummer to see a magazine we actually liked reading stop publishing, but it seems Concussion magazine has taken its own advice and is destroying itself, according to a story on Skate and Annoy.
Publisher Davoud Kermaninejad sent the news out to supporters via email last Friday night. He’s been half-seriously threatening to do it for years, but the harsh transitions of our shitty economy finally sealed the deal. . . He’s throwing in the towel as far as print issues go. He decided to go out with a bang rather than see future issues strangled by the ever-shrinking list of advertisers and the production budget that comes with them. You’ve got to respect his style.
When we spoke to Andy Howell last fall about the Artsprojekt website that he had created with Zazzle.com he presented it as a place where serious artists would be given the technology to create custom art products in limited runs. When he said “artists” we never imagined anything like Rob Dyrdek’s Wild Grinders clothing. But Andy certainly spins it well.
“Rob is a visionary, not just as an innovator of street skating, but for continuing to bring skateboarding lifestyle and art to the core and pop culture audiences in compelling ways, without losing sight of his true skateboarding roots,” said Andy Howell, former pro skateboarder and founder of ARTSPROJEKT. “Dyrdek and his Wild Grinders™ crew offer a cool brand for younger skaters, while maintaining authenticity which is crucial to a brand’s success and longevity. They understand what consumers want, and continue to push limits and take it to the next level.”
After looking at the product more closely we’re thinking a deal with Kohls or Kmart might be a better place for Rob’s little homies. But that’s just us.
A skateboard park in Poway, California may start fingerprinting skaters before giving them access to the park according to a story in the North County Times.
A new turnstile would unlock only after a scanner read and recognized the thumbprint of anyone who wanted to enter, said Poway Community Services Director Robert Clark of the city’s plan to curb vandalism and misbehavior at the park. Use of the park would still be free. . . . The system already is employed in parking lots, gyms and other facilities, but this may be the first time it would be used at a skate park, Clark said.
Reminds us a little of the old Bible verse, Revelation 13:17: “And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Then again, it’s just for the lock and fingerprints are a lot harder to lose than keys.
Nike plans to eliminate 4 percent of their 35,000 person work force (about 1,400 jobs) according to a story on Oregonlive.com.
