Ben Pappas – who used to earn $15,000 a month as a teenage skate star in the US – was dragged from the water by police divers off Victoria Pier at Docklands.

Homicide detectives had been looking for Pappas, 29, since the body of his former girlfriend, Lynette Phillips, was found at Dights Falls in Abbotsford eight days earlier.

[Source: Herald Sun, Australia] Update: Link fixed, plus more links after the jump.

So there’s a stand with a bar that raises and lowers in height and swings away when you hit it. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that although silly, this thing would be useful if you were into that sort of behavior – for contests, errr, training or whatever. Never mind that the name has already been used at least three times before for a toy, some sort of fishing rod, and finally a scooter handle for skateboards. No other information available, except for the commercial after the jump.

Came across this while reading a webcomic about videogames. I immediately searched for the game LittleBigPlanet so I could understand what the joke was about. Up came this image on a videogame review website. Not sure whether to be awed at the series of cosmic coincidences that always brings me back to skateboarding or depressed at what a pathetic geek I am.

Here’s the link.

Seen on the streets of Portland, Oregon. Bucky Lasek I think. Hey if they’re giving money away…

5-Minute Project: Drill-Powered Skateboard is a D.I.Y. project on the Instructables web site. It was a lot cooler before I realized that you were basically dragging the drill on the ground as the fourth wheel. I’m guessing battery powered drills won’t last long under the torque required to move an adult. I can foresee rigs with long extension cords and beer for a racing circuit. [Source: Zedomax.com]

SkateDaily recently pointed to an interview with artist Jeremy Fish. I saw one of these carved and painted skate decks at a skateboard art show. I liked how he transformed the wooden blank, other artists in the show just painted or illustrated the bottom of the deck or stuck crap to the board.

ANNE Brunell is a skateboarder with a difference. When pregnancy made it impossible for this paralympian and mother of two to wear her artificial legs, she relied on her trusty skateboard to get around. Despite being born without her lower legs, Ms Brunell has made the most of every opportunity with vigour, passion and a laugh.

Today she will be one of 30 women inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women by Women’s Affairs Minister Jacinta Allan to commemorate International Women’s Day.

Be nice in the comments. [Source: Herald Sun ]

So we’ve go an eBay vibe running. Here’s an old auction I sent to Neil but he didn’t cover it because it was he forgot, or I never sent it to him in the first place. I can’t remember a thing about this other than I think it was from the U.K.. Quite an awesome starter package though. I’m a hair’s breadth away from having some Captain Radical stickers made for Skate and Annoy. I remember a lengthy discussion about this sticker, but when and where? Slightly larger pics and an additional shot after the jump.

Here you go Neil. Your connection between skateboarding and wrestling. What starts off as a two person altercation between a skater and rollerblader ends up as a 15+ person pyramid death match. One kid pulls a leg drop on his victim. They even jump the referee park supervisor. It’s a very low impact (slap fest!) fight between mostly youngsters. I think these kids must have all been friends, but it’s amusing nonetheless. It’s funny to hear little twerps shouting “Ow! My leg!” Given today’s school-violence hysteria, I’m surprised there wasn’t a more heavy handed reaction from the authorities. Catch the video after the jump. [Source: Worldwide Skateboarding]

2007 continues red hot in February. Some really big numbers this month on some really surprising items. One I think has to be a mistake by the buyer, but more of that later. The first thing I want to say this month is I’m not a free advice column. I must get three emails a month from people looking for advice on how to sell their shit on eBay for maximum profit. Why should I help? Give me an incentive and I might, but for right now, the free advice column is CLOSED. The worst thing is, they never even say “I really like your column” or anything like that. It’s always right to business: “I’ve got a 1987 Jeff Grosso in great condition. How much can I get for it, maximum?” Fuck off.