Dan Bourqui put up a gallery of shots from last weekend’s Vans Protec Pool Party, check them out at 50-50.com. I watched about a half hour of it on Saturday, the whole thing kind of snuck up on me. I didn’t realize it was happening until Grover called me asking what time it started. The biggest noteworthy event has to be Tony Hawks return to competition. He placed 4th in the Masters. The webcast announcers definitely recognized his skills but pointed out his tendency to “halfpipe It” instead of scoping out pool-ish lines. Also of interest, Amelia Brodka noticed that last year’s female winner Lizzie Armanto (see photo by JCB) was inexplicably left off the hanging banner, even though they had been included in previous years. – Thanks to Concretins Nik for the tip.

The purpose of this video was supposed to be to portray Myanmar in a different light from the usual perspective of human rights violations and conflict. The filmmakers spend so much time talking about the negative aspects and whining about being lonely in a foreign land that they kind of fail in that aspect. Also it ‘s like they’ve got a bit of a Messiah complex, but that’s not quite it. Maybe a bit of a colonial mindset…. Whatever… thes guys are young, their hearts are in the right place and it’s shot well. At least they are thinking. Just turn down the voiceover. Fair Warning: There’s not really a lot of skating in this video. – Thanks to Matthijs for the tip. [Source: CNN GO]

The San Francisco Chronicle has a very short piece on 76 year old downhill enthusiast Lloyd Kahn who’s only been skating for about 11 years. – Thanks to Eric Cherry for the tip.

The entire back catalog, save issue #21 is up for grabs on eBay courtesy of Davoud himself.

DIY spots are abundant, and everyone knows when you start one that the odds are stacked against you. Still, the amount of DIY spots that are granted amnesty have increased, so you have to like those odds better than playing the lottery. Even when you celebrate, you know there’s a chance that the rug can be pulled out from under you. Hell, technically, even Burnside still exists only on double secret probation. Industrious skaters in Glacier, Washington built a spot called the Coal Pad on somewhat abandoned mining property that later was purchased in auction. When the new landowner Joe King found out about the spot when the county threatened him with fines unless the the park was removed or sanctioned with the proper permits. Incredibly, King agreed to let the park stay, provided the skating community took care of certain obligations agreed to be… adults. That’s a heartwarming stoke, until you get to the part where the company that previously had a mining lease on the property claims they weren’t properly informed of the sale, and are taking legal action to have the sale voided. First order of business? Tear down the skatepark and start strip mining. Greed concurs…

I first saw Rolo’s art over at My DIY blog when I bought one of the customized ‘Build’ shirts Gene was selling as a fundraiser. The genre is crowded, that’s for sure, but Rolo’s take seems more informed than most gross out for the sake of gross out. I’ve got larger versions of the above graphics after the jump, but really you should check out Gross Graphics. Right now it’s Rolo’s art, but he has plans to involve other names in the skateboard art world, both well known and unknown.

Sounds like the title from one of MCs cartoons, but it’s actually a piece by street artist Slinkachu, and I mean “street artist” literally. Slinkachu makes tiny art installations in the streets and photographs them. I’d like to think he (or she?) leaves them there, but the web site FAQ is mum on the subject. Local Amenities For Children is a 2008 piece while the one below, Epic Fail was sublimated on a skateboard in 2009. No, it not all skateboard related, which is good, because the best pieces are unrelated. Each installation is photographed from multiple focal lengths, sometimes taking on a different meaning depending on how much the real world encroaches on the constructed version. – Thanks to Tim Laidlaw for the tip. [Source: Yahoo News]

Vince from Spohn Ranch sent in some pics of the new skatepark in the Dalles in progress.

Interesting alternative construction methods over at Habitat. Cork ply decks have a real cork sheet laminated to the top of the deck eliminating the need for grip tape. The cork is harvested from live trees in a sustainable manner and adhered with water based glues. These collectors decks are both fun to skate and easy on your shoes. Besides cork ply, they’ve also got a hemp composite and a bamboo top ply… Although the web site mentions these technologies for the 2009 lineup, so no idea if this is still current. – Thanks to Boy for the tip.

Here’s some pretty cool POV footage of some downhill action courtesy of Madrid rider Zak Maytum, who starts out at the back and ends up passing everyone at least once. This reminds me of the old Omnimax footage of the rollercoaster ride and corvettes driving down a windy road. Iggy and the Stooges on the soundrtack too. Geez, I must have downhill on the brain, this is two Maryhill posts in a week. UPDATE: Duh. I forgot the video, but it’s there now. [Source:Skateonline]