I scoured Target and Walgreens to look for skateboarding themed Valentines Day cards and came up empty handed this year. The Portland Mercury ran a gag with fake Valentines cards that included this one. I have to say I didn’t even know what a polycule was, so I had to look it up. Bowl of keys is all you need to know. – Thanks to MC for the pic.

Douchebag rightwing video personality Tim Pool tried to co-opt a local DIY scene in Martinsburg, WV by throwing money at them unsolicited. When rebuffed publicly, he ended up buying the property as an “investment.” While the spot still remains open, and skateable, the locals are less than keene to engage anymore due to uncertainty about what Pool will do, and not wanting to be involved with a guy who associates with White Nationalists and says things like “Vice President Kamala Harris is Hitler and Stalin combined but times 200.” To be fair, the spot looks like it could use a cash infusion, but Pool’s offer (20k!) was for the purse in a trick contest and not for the spot itself. According to the article, Pool himself admitted he bought the spot partially to get back at the “woke” crowd that didn’t want his involvement. The locals have been taunting him (“Tim Pool can’t slappy.”) and he has posted videos to debunk that, bragging about his “first try” tricks. So yeah, another stable genius. Money can’t buy you a decent personality. Yo, Barry, can you believe this? Source: Washington Post via Yahoo News. Thanks to Troy Sliter for the tip.

I lurk on the web site Action Transfers web site on a recurring basis ever couple of years, mostly waiting for them to post the Battle of Midway set I had as a kid. Action Transfers was the brand name for the dry-rub decals made by the Letraset company. Aside from making the lettering that 80’s zine makers (and graphic designers, I presume) loved so much, they also made sets containing illustrations you could place on the provided scenery. This is essentially Colorform sets that were permanent once applied. Sure, you could do that with stickers too, but this method somehow seemed more glamorous. What you are looking at above, however, is a plain old iron on t-shirt transfer. It turns out “Action Transfers” occasionally produced t-shirt transfers as well, and why not? It was originally all screen printed. These two skateboard designs are among the few documented shirt transfers on the Action transfers site.

Lucy is so mean to Snoopy, and everyone else for that matter. Peanuts Wiki says this first appeared on March 26th 1979., otherwise I would have pegged this as being mid to late 80’s. Full frame after the jump.

A Johnson & Johnson ad for multiple products, Motrin, Ben Gay and Sudafed. Dad knows how to butt board! If you find this newspaper circular and can send in a more conventional overhead shot or scan, please do, this one has already gone in the recycling bin. – Thanks to Chris Strople for the pic. (Yes, that Chris Strople…)

This is hard drive cleaning time an illustration by Tim Root, for the Portland Mercury, that dates back a couple years. It might have been a cover, or t-shirt, or both. I can’t remember. Tim’s illustrations for Stumptown Coffee have appeared here before. Who is Tim Root?

Sisterhood of the Skateboard is ant article in the NY Times about a female skate collective in the Bronx called the Brujas, which is Spanish for “witches.” If “Skate Witches” sounds familiar, you might have seen it on S&A. The Brujas actually copped their name from this 1986 Super * film after it showed up on YouTube. You can buy this film on a DVD compilation Danny Plotnick movies titled Warts & All. As for the Bruma’s and the New York Times piece… the accompanying video is a little cringe worthy. Is skateboarding heteronormative? Skateboarding doesn’t care. We can agree Girl is not a 4 Letter Word, and there’s always room another organization, or collective, but maybe the NYT is making a big deal out something to fill some space. Maybe I’m just part of the patriarchal problem. The article actually made it into the print edition, which is cool for their crew and female skaters everywhere.

It looks like the long, protracted war is finally over as Skateboarding will be proposed for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, so it’s pretty much a fait accompli. The International Skateboarding Federation is excited about it. Who is in that federation, some notables for sure. Also, the Telegraph definitely thinks I’m too old to skateboard. On a positive note, four Canadian skateboarders are being honored for stopping a sexual assault and helping to apprehend the culprit. (The image on the top left is from Mpora, who has a lot to say about the Olympic announcement but for some reason can’t bring themselves to actually link to it.)

Kona Skatepark needs work. The owner of the longest running private skatepark is trying to raise money for repairs to the park. The fundraising campaign is incredibly vague on what the 50k is going to be used for, instead pointing to a recent Folio Weekly article that sheds light on Kona’s interesting, sometimes troubled history as it approaches it’s 39th year in operation. For instance, the park declared bankruptcy twice in the first 18 months after opening in 1977. It was in limbo for 6 months before the the current owner’s (Martin Ramos) parents bought it. Economic downturns, wildly unfortunate personal accidents, and some questionable business decisions, all detailed in the article, make public funding for a privately owned skatepark a hard sell. Kona’s place in history and many skateboarders hearts might help it stay alive. Ramos has some interesting ideas to help keep the park afloat, some of which you’ve heard before that haven’t really worked for anyone else…

Avert your eyes from this advert found in the June 21st, 2015 edition of the NY Times magazine. Brian and Brody are sporting their finest for Father’s Day. Countess Mara makes accessories for any occasion, as long was the occasion calls for a tie or a bowtie. Send them your skate photos, you could end up in their next national advertisement. – Thanks to Tallboycan for the tip.