A Classic Example

I mean shit holy cow! But, you know, shit, holy cow. Um, "mad props" but, well, there's a classic surfer interview.

Happeningsz : Maysles Trefz

SURFWISE

NYC urbanSURFshorts

MORNING OF THE EARTH

Patrick Trefz is rolling into town Feb 1-3 for a Fundraiser film screening up in Harlem. Should be an epic evening. SMASH will be moderating one of the evenings. Come on out and show your support. All tickets are suggested donation of $10. All proceeds will go to Waves for Water.

Yes

Wow, Really? Well Ok Then

This exists...


If it tickles you to contribute, go HERE.
via SMASH

Remember this?
Yeah well...

Bilderback

via C Pfeil

Bon Anniversaire Kook

Today's Thought

via The Considerable Sabich

Today's Thought : That Old Time California Feeling

Do Real And Lasting Good. And Have Fun Doing It.

Volunteer this weekend. 

Temple Trailer

via SMASHstastic

This Winter's Mantra

With each passing day the body heals, the psyche heals. The sun rises earlier, the sleepful nights will return. And even as the weather turns colder, I fear not, I waver not in my various and sundry commitments to life, liberty and that pursuit of happiness. There is no other road but the road of success and failure and success. There is no other road than the one I'm on. Amen.

Today's Thought

Mali

I've never been to Mali but it has always been on the list. The music, culture and raw and utterly different beauty of the place has been a siren song for a long time. I've met my share of Malians, each one as generous, aspirational and hardworking as you'd care to find. Tony Karon has been putting together a fine list up of his favorite Malian music in response and support of the difficulties they've been experiencing...

Billy on the V

One of our favorite style icons via Kris Chatterson and Aquatic Apes

Today's Thought

Happening : East River Aloha

What, you thought all those new gun laws fixed anything?

Drywall doesn't fix itself. And your soul could use a pick-me-up.
VOLUNTEER THIS WEEKEND!

Today's Thought

via Joce

Great White's October Cruise By

Hmmm.

Now... the Daily Mail is an British news paper, right?

Were I just not paying attention in October?

Yes

There is a whole contingent of surfers out there who find this sort of thing the worst kind of an unnecessary retrograde waste of time. "Push forward!" they chant from their box seats in the coliseum. "Thumbs down!" they bellow, thumbs pointing down. Luckily, no one is being put to the sword here. Anyhow, I'm not one of them. Live and let live.
And was it really shot on Super 8?

NOW! No time like NOW!

Volunteer this weekend.

Moments of the "Real"

Brought to you by The Godfather

Today's Thought

Knost

When did Alex Knost go from being that goofy kid who always had that whiff of "trying-too-hard" to a surfer with a style that could almost be understated? It's like he went into everything head first, soaking it all up and manually working it all out center stage till the stuff just soaked into his DNA, making it all look effortless. Then again that is the worn path of youth and the inevitable maturation of talent.


...or not, looks like someone decided this shouldn't be seen by the masses anymore.
The short, ecstatic life of the too hasty film premiere.

Today's Thought

Via Elizabeth Pepin Silva

Today's Other Thought

Surfing After Sandy

The Chicken Petter!

Finally up on Korduroy.  I've been waiting for this thing to drop.  Nice jorb Brian.

It's no secret that East Coast surfers have experienced some serious adversity this past year. But Brian Wengrofsky and twelve creative friends show that stoke always shines through in this heartwarming clip about a foam blank, a jigsaw, a hand saw, a rasp and 13 industrious bros who create a board from found and donated materials in the Outer Banks, North Carolina.

As seen here...

Notes from the Ground - Jon Rose W4W Update #5

It's a new day… a new year...

I want to begin by wishing a happy new year to all my friends and family that have supported W4W, and more specifically, our Sandy Relief Initiative thus far…

We've been on the ground here in NY/NJ since day one of the Sandy relief efforts. I have seen every level of destruction and despair - homes ripped clear off their foundations... businesses broken beyond repair... and people tested in ways they could have never imagined. We have made it our mission to help these people get back on their feet and restore the lives they once had. We realize that the needs are seemingly endless, but we also realize that we can (and will) get there… together.

We, as a group, are making good progress... significant things are getting done each week... the hard work IS making a difference. 

This type of event is humbling beyond words… day in and day out I feel deeply moved by the overwhelming scale of what has happened... but with this humility, comes clarity. The vision of what's possible has never been more clear to me. We have all the pieces in place to make real long lasting positive impact throughout this entire recovery process...

Over the holidays I thought a lot about the significance of our actions - big and small… individually and collectively… I thought about the model we have created to confront all of the challenges brought on by Sandy… Building grass roots relief networks from the ground up. Local initiatives that are all aligned and connected through a central focus (W4W), but are thriving on their own - addressing the specific needs of their community as they come up, rather than operating under a generic blanketed approach like most traditional relief strategies. 

We have watched the game change before our eyes… I can't begin to describe the satisfaction of watching the municipalities and authorities in various communities reach out to our crews for advice on what the next steps should be. The same authorities who never took surfers (and their culture) seriously, are now looking to them for guidance and stability throughout this recovery process… As I've said before, there are a lot of reasons why this is all working the way it is - most of the towns that got rocked the hardest are coastal surf/beach-lifestyle communities and in my opinion it's only natural that the people most connected to the ocean would be the most proactive… it's all a ripple effect - if the beaches (and all that goes along with them) are back up and running then so is the tourism - and the local economy that supports everything, thereafter. Then there's also the engrained DNA that comes with people of the ocean - a tendency to go towards things that the masses would consider dangerous (or at the very least, extremely difficult). It is an ethic that stems from battling the elements to enjoy the thing(s) that makes you most happy… it's a process that is only experienced by people that have a true relationship and understanding with nature - and her force. I honestly believe that this dynamic has been the deciding difference in helping to change the outdated models of relief work, while rewriting stereotypes in the process. I can say, without a shadow of doubt, that we've never had access to these types of people and resources during a relief initiative before… 

That said, I want to quickly shed light on some of the more recent developments we've made since I last wrote. 

We have officially created and launched two new programs - 

1.) W4W Community Uplift Program - a straight monetary compensation program that we created to offer $2500 and $5000 grants to certain individuals/families that have endured an unthinkable level of hardship due to Sandy. In most cases people need money… plain and simple. Through our relief center partners each target community, we've been getting lists of candidates that qualify under our program criteria. The rest is simple - we get them either a $2500 or $5000 grant depending on their level of hardship and send them on their way. It becomes nothing short of an old fashioned stimulus program that can help people that have hit rockbottom - restore homes, pay rent/sec deposit on a new place, pay off credit card bills, or simply put food on the table. It is often the deciding factor from a psychological standpoint, that can help renew faith and keep people energized so they don't crumble all together.

2.) W4W Restore and Rebuild Program - a construction based initiative that we oversee and manage from start to finish (usually a $20K cap per site). We bring in our own contractor partners to look at households or small businesses we've selected and they give us a detailed line-item bid of what it will take to get everything restored. Then we decide (with the home/business owner) what the most pressing items are and have our team do those ASAP. There are so many houses/businesses, with so many problems… and since we do not have a limitless amount of funds, we obviously can't do everything. But what we have found is that in most cases there are a few paramount items that are holding up the entire process… yes it usually stems from a lack of funds to get these services done, but there are some things that are simply easier than others - people are more likely to find a way of getting floors put in than being able to get plumbing or electrical done. It's simple math, but it's also a lack of resources as a whole. So when we look into restoring a place it's more about choosing the most essential things that will then unblock the rest of the progress and allow people to fill in the other (less critical) holes, themselves, over time.

I'd like to leave you with a letter that came in from our first recipient of the W4W Community Uplift Program (out of respect for privacy, their names shall remain anonymous). Since then, we've granted funds to four more families and started restoration projects on three additional homes through our W4W Restore and Rebuild Program. Lastly, between these two programs we have eight more families (and counting!) confirmed and slated for this coming week as well… 

*I may have shared already shared this letter with some of you, but feel like it's something everyone should see.

This letter is a good reminder of exactly why we do what we do... Plain and simple...

-----------------

Jon & W4W,

I hope the holidays are treating you well. I can't begin to thank you enough for the check Waves4Water gave me. The day of our last meeting when I talked to ________, that was the absolute bottom of the barrel day for me & my family. The only money we had was what was in my pocket. The insurance co just gave us the latest excuse on why we haven't received a dime yet. That was when I finally cracked. Up until that day I worked hard, helped others, stayed positive & tried to lead the charge. Your generosity not only saved us from disaster but it also re-energized me. The only way I can repay you is to continue to do what I've been doing since the day after the storm. I'm focused & committed to not only getting my family into our home but also getting the people of the area back into their homes as soon as possible. Hopefully I'll see you soon so I can thank you in person.

Last but not least I want to leave you with a link to a film that Transition Productions put together on Hurricane Sandy - through the eyes of surfers. It's called East Coast Rising and I think they did a great job on it. Please feel free to share it -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjHiwR6LRlc&feature=youtu.be

Thanks!

Jon Rose

Today's Thought

SofeLob

How many otherwise-fine meandering travelogue-ish surf films have been unnecessarily ruined by fake film effects? And when will the "hand-drawn type" fad finally gasp out? You could call me Scrooge or Grinch, but you'd be outta season. Get with it otherwise-fine surf film makers. Sheesh. And yet...

Long Beach Volunteering Courtesy of SMASH

Start the New Year out RIGHT

Digz, baby, Digz

There is always reason to support local surfers who are making a go, creating jobs and opportunities for their communities. Check out Digz.

Surf Porn of a Potent Kind

Dylan Smith Memorial

East Coast Rising

Numb.

It's that time of year when, if you're like me, right now, you're busted knee gives you the unwanted excuse as to why you're not loving the frigid (read: empty) lineups.  For the rest of the populace of purported surfers the excuses pile up along the lines of wetsuit envy, schedule envy, car-with-a-working-heater envy and proximity-to-a-warm-shower envy.  Simply put, this is the opportunity for many to put on that added weight the've been meaning to gain and catch up on the sleep they've been meaning to find.  If you're looking for a little extra motivation though, check out Numb a photobook documenting six years of cold water exploits from Tim Nunn and Ian Battrick.

Auto-Inflated Asshole Kooks and Self-Important Crumbum Morons

Here and Here