The fourth installment in the comic adaptation of Hugo and That Dumb Skateboard

Both of these are a joke, but one is actually serious. From Instructables, the Jet Powered and Folding skateboards. Yes, that’s a drag chute. Yes, he put rollerblade wheels on his trucks.

Nothing proclaims your love for a sport more than your desire to surround yourself in accoutrements adorned with symbols of your passion. If you can’t be killing the coping at a particular moment, you might as well be killing your lungs with a skateboard-themed lighter.

This broken skateboard belt buckle comes from a Polish website called Jazgot which looks like it’s aimed at the Polish Hot Topic crowd, or in their own words, “Punk Rock Rockabilly Emo shop”

[Source: SKATEpunk.pl]

Again, from the collection of John Drummond. This time it’s the premier issue of Germany’s Death Zone, dating back to June of 1985. It cost 1,50 dm, however much that was. Interesting to note the address inside the cover, it said Gütersloh West Germany. I never really thought about about skateboarding in a divided Germany. Sure, we all knew about Claus Grabke (…and speaking of) but seeing the word “West” made me sit back and take notice.

If you thought you’d seen enough of Ryan Sheckler before…. Hot off the press release newswire:

MTV Networks Music Group, a division of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B) and NBC Sports, a division of NBC Universal, Inc. today announced a wide ranging, strategic partnership to expand the AST (Action Sports Tour), a global, youth-focused, multimedia, action sports business that includes the AST Dew Tour, the AST Winter Dew Tour and the amateur Free Flow Tour into a global brand that spans MTV and NBC’s multiple screens… …As part of the MTV Networks/NBC Universal alliance around the AST, MTV and MTV2 will provide lifestyle programming, targeted cross-promotion, multi-platform content and distribution, consumer products licensing and merchandising to the joint venture.

With Rob and Big going off the air, I wonder who MTV will push into the spotlight to help them with marketing their new venture. Who knows, maybe they make a big push to bring back the Swatch watches. I have an empty spot in my life right now. I thought it was dissatisfaction with the status of my career, but maybe I’m just devoid of targeted cross-promotion, licensing and merchandising right now. I can hardly wait. Get the details here.

The Federal Trade Commission‘s job is “Protecting America’s Consumers.” We need some sort of commission to protect America’s skateboarders.

Todd Taylor has graciously allowed us to reprint his article from issue #41 of Razorcake Magazine, titled How to fight for a skatepark. The article also appeared in Thrasher Magazine, but they’ve got no monopoly on activism, so the more people that read this the better. There are plenty of other places to get (dry) information on how to get a skatepark in your town, but Todd’s guide reads more like a short story peppered with practical advice and a sense of humor. Even if you’re up to your eyeballs in public skateable terrain, it still makes an entertaining read. Check out How to fight for a skatepark.

As always, we recommend Razorcake Magazine for all grown-ups who enjoy Punk Rock and it’s trappings. And yes, this excludes Enemy Combatant, we know how you feel.

This week’s Shot of the Week is a spot in the Boston area that was known as the Black Hole ditch back in 1986 when the photo was taken. If I recall correctly, the reason it had that name had something to do with the temperature of the asphalt ditch in the hot summer sun. Nothing fancy, just one of those nostalgia shots. This is on my Boston trip negatives, but for all my lack of geographic knowledge of the area and memory loss, this might have been in the outlying burbs. Check it out.