The New York Times web site has a feature about skateboarders capitalizing on the mortgage crisis by finding, draining, and skating pools of houses that are in foreclosure. Skate and Annoy even gets mentioned due to our heads up on Billy Runaway’s photos of said pools. It seems like whenever we get quoted by the legitimate press, (Hard to believe, but it happens) they provide a link to web site, but never the article in question, so here is the original post for all our newfound friends from the New York Times. I wasn’t aware that we were a site “where skaters trade tips about how to find and drain abandoned pools.” Maybe they are rerring to Kent’s old article on how to drain a pool using existing plumbing in the DIY section. Aside from SnA being highlighted, it’s also intersting that the mainstream press picked up on this. There has to be a skateboarder on staff. -Thanks to Maureen, Pribble and Hass for tip.

Trying to raise funds for the skate park in hood river. Purchase any image from the photo shelter site and 20% will be donated to help with a new bonus section. Thanks – Carl Warren Photography

A good excuse not to post every single picture is in case I need a Shot of the Week and I’m in the middle of a snowstorm, I can pull something from the archives. This is Jon Jon Bryan from the Lincoln City leg of the Trifecta in 2008. Next week I’ve got a scheduled roundup of assorted 2008 Trifecta coverage from various sources, including Brazil! Jon Jon makes skateboards over at ABC. Check out the full frame Shot of the Week.

Post-holiday depression? Here’s a video of Santa bombing some hills. I know it’s a day late, but it’s still funny that it comes from CNN via their iReport site. I like the concept for getting eyewitness news up faster, but lately CNN is getting more and more like AM talk radio. Seriously, who cares what some hothead in Iowa thinks about the mortgage crisis. If I wanted to watch amateur news I’d turn on Fox.

I wish someone had posted this choking warning around the time I entered my first skateboard contest. Ouch! I found this after I followed MC’s link for the arts & craft skateboard. It’s the Razor Punk Ramp. It cracked me up that a launch ramp was a choking hazard. While searching for “punk ramp” images on Google, my story about the Punk Sucks Ramp showed up on page four.

Viewer art from Chip Jones inspired by the Tony Hawk Gummie Vitamins. Tony Alva’s Old Dog Vita-Bites. Enlarge your prostate.

Happy holidays to our readers. Really, shouldn’t you be hanging out with your families and loved-ones instead of surfing the web? No? There’s four videos of Santa skateboarding after the jump.

Luka Karlin is a 15 year old skater from Slovenia whose crew put together a video called Phobia that you can watch on Vimeo. I always like to see skate spots in different parts of the country or world. There’s some cool stuff in Phobia, for example, the ramp in the top two pics has avery nice covered structure on tracks that slides off for skating. I think Phobia is broken into different parts, just click on the related videos that have Phobia in the title. In case you are wondering, Luka is one of the crazy Slovenians.

Not only are many big name skateboards manufactured in China, now they are going to start making our extreme sports genre films there too. CounterCulture Independent Filmmakers’ Resource, has the following oportunity listed: Wanted Screenplays with a Skateboard Theme to shoot in China Budget is 1.5 million. Investor is a skateboard champion and wants to produce a feature in Shanghai with a skateboard theme. Big question, who is the “skateboard champion?” I accidentally caught a Chinese action film on cable that has big chase scene that takes place on mountain boards. I forget the name of it, but it’s probably at least three years old. – Thanks to Tito Porrata for the tip.

A crooked cop asked me to mention Tr3spass.com, new San Francisco area site focusing mostly on ditches, banks and any other skateable cement. It’s in the beginning stages right now, so now’s your chance to get in on the ground floor. Check it out.