Last Tuesday’s episode of the Colbert Report (November 17th) featured the segment Better Know a District, with California’s 12th which encompasses San Francisco and the headquarters of You Tube. At the end of the segment he asks Representative Jackie Speier to make a You Tube video, consisting of some skateboarding through the halls of the office building. I didn’t catch this on TV, so I can’t tell if there’s a stunt double or not, but my immediate judgement tells me Stephen has spent some time on the old stuntwood. Like I said, I didn’t get a chance to record this, but the forward thinking people at Colbert Nation have saved me the trouble of getting kicked off You Tube again by posting copyrighted material. Wathc the licensed vid after the jump, and brace yourself for an onslaught from Daddy Yo. it is San Francisco, the hotbed of left wing commie, pinko, gay… Thrashers. Lets see who can stay on topic the longest. (Tone of voice: Like a parent to his kids saying “Let’s play a game and see who can stay quiet the longest!”) Sadly, the video wasn’t actually posted on You Tube. Stephen, how long have you been skateboarding?…

The Economists has an article talking about the greed and selfishness of today’s youth, and their lack of involvement in public service sector. I’m not sure about the public service record, but I’m pretty sure the previous generation’s greed is a huge part of the reason we’re in this mess. What’s the point? The illustrator used a skateboard to portray the folly of youth. You could be upset if you cared, but if you think about it, skateboard media itself does a good job of perpetuating the stereotype. Not all of it, but a sizable portion. I was talking with an industry insider this summer who expressed some regret over that, while fully copping to perpetuating negative stereotypes in skateboarding through his own product and actions. Ah… What are you going to do? Do as I say, not as I do? Skate and Destroy or Skate and Create? Does anyone care? – Thanks to Seth Levy for the tip.

Wow. I can’t believe this one flew under my radar for so long, but it was released a mere year after Thrashin’. I’m not sure what this movie is about, but it’s got two Playboy Playmates and a skateboarding goon (Hey! that’s Russ Howell?1) who meets a spectacular untimely demise. Is it because he’s doing handstands down the middle of a highway, or because he’s spinning 360’s with an inflatable doll? Both valid reasons, to be sure, but not there are other extenuating circumstances. Playmates are well known for their acting chops, so you know this clip is… not going to feature them. – Thanks to Skate D for the tip.

What they lack in market share, RealPlayer is willing to make up for in nostalgia by being on top of what was popular on the internet about two years ago. They’re still doing skateboarding dogs.

As a kid I always loved Richard Scarry’s books. Something about those chunky little anthropomorphized animals with their stubby arms really appealed to me. It might have been the detailed surroundings of Busytown or the inherent sense of humor in the illustrations. Now I dig reading these to my kids. This panel here is from a board book called “Huckle’s Opposites,” and it features one of my favorite characters, good old Lowly Worm. He’s only got one shoe, yet he still manages to ride a skateboard. He may push mongo, but his skateboard is stylish. Hang on, how does he push at all? Is that a Chuck Taylor? You can investigate the answers yourself by picking up your own copy from the dollar bins at Target.

Tony Hawk interviewed on another skateboarding web site? Nope. Try Digg.com’s Digg Dialogues. He’s still famous. Tony is interviewed with questions from the Digg community by the site’s founder. Conahan once suggested that I forego “Gratuitous Tony Hawk” references for Sheckler, but Tony’s in the media more, still. Watch it after the jump.

The “skateboard” key word channel on my DVR picked up a show on Current TV. I was a bit confused because to get to it I had to FF through 10 minutes of a segment titled “Why we shave down there,” with a bunch of women talking about, well, you know. There was indeed some skateboarding, a fun little street sequence featuring skateboarder and artist Mark Warren Jacques. Turns out he lives in Portland is a partner in a gallery that is about 10 blocks away from where I live, yet I’ve never been in there. I guess I’ll have to remedy that. Catch the clip by Joe Lumbroso and info about some upcoming exhibits after the jump.

Someone on Madison Avenue is earning their paycheck. What are the odds of a skateboard blog picking up and posting something only marginally sideways related? I was skeptical when I got the email, but this Dos Equis commercial featuring “the most interesting man in the world; On rollerblading” actually made me snort. I need to learn how and when to use semicolons. Just say “Dos Equis.” – Thanks to Ash for the tip.

The Vancouver Sun reports that a civil suit against a guy who spray painted at a skatepark has resulted in an award of $6400 to the city.

Steve Jobs is the most respected and admired entrepreneur amongst the teenagers in U.S. according to a survey conducted by Junior Achievement. He beat out other celebrity entrepreneurs, most notably (in our case), Tony Hawk. Don’t feel bad for Tony. The folks at Honda motors admired him enough to use him in a film talking about competition and drive, designed to promote their new FCX Clarity fuel cell powered electric vehicle. You can watch the seven minute Race against Time after the jump. Plus, it’s not as if Tony hasn’t already appeared in several advertisements for Apple. [Source: CNet]