Well, I opened a can of worms with religion, so I might as well tackle present another hot topic, health care reform in the United States. Part two of a series from Austin Considine called Faces of American Health Care features a sobering look at former pro skater Lee Bender.

Number two in a multi-part series: From the heartland, a look at a few of the real people adversely affected by our health care system today. Part two looks at Lee Bender, a former pro skater who was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Despite comparatively good coverage he faces over $36,000 in debt for treatment over the last 18 months.

According to the World Health Organization, health care in the United States ranks 37th in the world, based on quality and access, among other things. Skateboarders take a risk every time they skate. Insurance or lack of, is in the back of many of the minds of skaters who are living on their own. I’m not sure how to do it, but our health care system definitely needs reform. Health insurance is a racket and costs are out of control.

– Thanks to Max Macias via Facebook for the tip.

Yeah, well. here it is. Honestly I didn’t listen to very much of it. I was so sick of this by the time I got to editing it. Basically, Ponch spends the episode trying to convince the kids they should get off the street and skate someplace safe. Eventually they end up taking the kids to a skatepark, in this case, SkaterCross. Happens all the time, right? The classic case of skate harassment. It looks like Estrada and the other dude (who shall perpetually be known as “the other dude”) had actually spent some time on skateboards.

Holy shit. The things I do for you people. I’ve been trying to get this damn episode of CHiPs ready for prime time on S&A for some time now. I rented the damn thing from the library. It got stuck in my computer’s DVD drive and absolutely would not come out. I got a new computer out of it, thanks to the Best Buy extended warranty. Seriously. The tech dudes said it would be too much work to take the iMac apart and get the drive out. Of course, the old one was only a week old. This was back in January, and I never got the disc back so I had to buy the whole season used off Amazon to avoid paying full retail for the replacement. I had a hard time digitizing this too. in the end, the only thing I could get for some reason was the Spanish voiceover. I’m not making this up. So enjoy the first installment of the “Neighborhood Watch” episode. Or rather, the skateboard related parts. I edited out the other unrelated bits like the drunk driving and insurance scam parts. Ponch and John cross paths with a troubled skateboarding youth caught in the crossroads. Headed down a path of self destruction, alienation, and one can only hope.. Punk Rock. Can Ponch and John save him? Holy cow, isn’t that the kid who played Oliver on the Brady Bunch? Catch part one today. Part two is when the skatebaord action really kicks in to high gear. Sorry about the Español. Variflex and Russian YouTube for everyone!

As seen in the Philidelphia Enquirer: A skateboarding paradise at FDR Park. 1,649 words on how much they love it.

– Thanks to Doc Murdock for the tip.

From a random episode of Married With Children, thanks again to Josef Heffner. Not much else to do now. Uhmmmmm. Oh yeah, remember the old Christina Applegate skateboard.

From Max Schaaf’s 4Q Conditioning. The original source is not credited, but it looks like some sort of paperback book aimed at motorcycle riders in the 70’s.

Lately I’ve been reading the new issue of Poweredge magazine during my breaks at work instead of geeking out on my iPhone. It’s been a pretty good read, actually. The art direction, although definitely reminiscent of the old magazine at times, feels a bit unfocused. I am enjoying the content, with the exception of the CAPS LOCK USED IN SOME OF THE ARTICLES. IT MAKES IT HARD TO READ. Poweredge will be coming out four times a year. This issue, the first since 1992 or so is 120 pages (in color) and features Mike Vallely, Mike Smith, Sean Sheffey, Jake Brown, Dayne Brummet, Alec Beck and more. There is a generous helping of old photos in with the new. There are supposed to be multiple covers, but this is what mine looks like. Strange choice for a first cover, but I’m stoked that Poweredge is back. I was a subscriber the first time around. I found it a good mix of Thrasher and Transworld. Nowadays I’m not sure where it would fall in the spectrum of skateboard magazines, but I’m rooting for it for sure. Where can you get yours? At select skate shops and newsstands. You might have to do some hunting until they get the distribution channels sorted out. Barring that, you can subscribe too. Poweredge is supposed to be launching a new web site any day now.

This goes back to September 5th. I completely missed this because I don’t get the paper, no matter how many times the Oregonian calls my house and tries to give it away. Then again I could have read it on Tony Hawk’s Twiiter account like the guys at Boardistan did, nerds…. I kid, I poach from Boardistan and vice versa. If I knew who the hell they were we could be interwebs friends. Getting back to the comic, big deal… Tony will really be famous when he gets mentioned in Andy Cap. These old comics are weird, the way they have new artists take over after the original one retires or dies. 20 years from now in an anthology someone will look at this and think “Who the hell is Tony Hawk?” It would make about as much sense as a Barney Oldfield reference today. Check out John Hart Studios for more B.C. (and Wizard of Id) action.

This is allegedly a billboard for Yahoo! as found on Flickr and reported by Mashable. This guy has awesome form, and uh, errr… Well there you have it.

– Thanks to Tyler Knowlton for the tip.

The Side Project has a video of the photo shoot for an advert for Secret antiperspirant for women. Before seeing the video I just assumed it was all posed photoshop work,you know, because I’m a male chauvinist pig. But, it turns out to be an actual sequence of a skater named Leticia Bufoni. The only major thing photoshopped appears to be sneakers. The ad appears in the October 2009 issue of Glamour. If your subscription lapsed like mine did, check it out at the The Side Project. I believe Lisa Whitaker is associated with this site. You may remember her appearance as a stunt double in a cigarette commercial for Capri Slims.

– Thanks again to GN for the tip.