Der Spiegel 52/1963 vom 25.12.1963, Seite 60

Oahu
Besser als Sex
Wellenreiten
Schweine und Weiber waren einst die Siegerpreise eines seit Jahrhunderten auf Hawaii heimischen Nationalsports, über den der britische Entdecker James Cook berichtete, die Eingeborenen vollbrächten auf schmalen Brettern mitten in der Brandung “höchst erstaunliche Dinge”.Cook hatte das Wellenreiten entdeckt, jene alte hawaiische Mutprobe, die – mit neuzeitlicher Raffinesse aufbereitet – in den letzten Jahren zu einem neuen Massensport des 20. Jahrhunderts geworden ist. …

Hier weiter suchen: SPIEGEL Wissen :: Artikel

Thursday, 14 February 2008
Japanese ‘Yakuza’ gangsters have launched a campaign of intimidation to force a media blackout on the furore surrounding the country’s killing of dolphins and whales, it was claimed yesterday. Australian surfer Dave Rastovich attracted world headlines after he and conservationists including actress Isabel Lucas travelled to the Japanese fishing village of Taiji last year to protest at its annual dolphin kill. Rastovich, the global face of surfwear giant Billabong Australia’s environmental campaigns, said the multi-billion dollar Japanese surf industry had been experiencing the ‘heat’ for his anti-whaling activities. He said he had been told of intimidation from Yakuza thugs – the feared Japanese mafia – who had been visiting Japanese surf shops in search of the outspoken activist. ‘These are the goons from the fishing industry who are visiting surf stores intimidating people and threatening to punish them financially,’ Rastovich said.

Pacific Longboarder News / Reviews / Events

Court decision on YouTube
My previous notes around here and then here.

Thanks to Dirtbag Surfer for the info.

Surfers everywhere should be aware of this example. Get together and try to stop the threats car driving economy makes for wave accesability, or the waves themselves. When fuel has run out (it will, Irak democratic or not, China alone will use up more oil than you can imagine soon), at least the surfbreaks should still be ridable. Trestles is one of the great classic surf spots in southern california.

Beach Blog » Blog Archive » Toll road meeting relocated due to expected high turnout – OCRegister.com

Legendary Surfers: Duke Not The First in Oz: “Duke Kahanamoku, the ‘Father of Modern Surfing’ is generally considered to have been the first stand-up surfer in Australia. New research indicates Duke was probably NOT the first:

[ Excerpt from ‘The Duke dethroned as our surfing history is rewritten,’ Matthew Benns, SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, December 30, 2007 ]

… Historian Mark Maddox argues Kahanamoku chose to give his famous 1914 surfing exhibition at Freshwater Beach because at nearby Manly too many surfers were dropping in on his waves.”

The first book I ever read featuring the topic of surfing is going to be available as a free audiobook at LibriVox. It’s The Cruise of The Snark by no other than the great Jack London. I am listening to the surfing chapter A Royal Sport right now.
I must say, since English is not my first language, while I can understand all the spoken words, it’s still hard to follow. He’s reading a little fast, and doesn’t get you  into the mood too much. I hope these free offers don’t discourage professional efforts. I would think surfing literature would make great audiobooks.

A Royal Sport audio (Jack London)

The Cruise of the Snark at Amazon

One of these days I have to learn them all, hopefully I already do some of them, without knowing their names. Exotic scales are what sets Surfmusic apart from earlier forms of instrumental rock’n’roll, and connects it with jazz (like early George Benson and Gabor Szabo) and Exotica.

From BBC News website article:

A little alcohol ‘can be healthy’
Beer
Experts warned that over-indulgence could pose severe health risks
A little alcohol combined with a healthy active lifestyle may be the best recipe for a longer life.

A European Heart Journal study suggests the combination can cut the risk of heart disease.

A Danish team found people who led an active lifestyle were less prone to heart disease – but the risk was cut still further if they drank moderately.

However, UK experts warned people should not be encouraged to drink, as too much alcohol can be very damaging.

Physical activity has shown greater benefits to heart health and overall health in previous research compared to drinking alcohol
Ellen Mason
British Heart Foundation

The researchers followed nearly 12,000 men and women for nearly 20 years, during which 1,242 died from ischaemic heart disease (IHD).

Link

Here‘s a great little regular music show you might find entertaining:
Jet Set Planet

A program of space age era instrumentals, TV Jazz, and other related music, featuring dismissed, forgotten, or otherwise marginalized vinyl LPs from the record bins of Thrift Store USA.

* Exotica
* Crime Jazz
* Lounge and Cocktail music
* Big Bands in the Stereo Age
* Ping-pong percussion
* Bongos. Bossa Nova, and Latin tunes
* European and American soundtracks
* Jazz for swingers and soft-core sensualists
* E-Z & Sleazy Listening
* Rock-Gone-Wrong
* Juvenile Delinquent music
* the Now Sound
* Songs of the Jet Set
* the Schreee of 10,000 strings
* and Spy jazz

Through Surfmusic101 this article by Drew Kampion came to my attention:

A few days ago, a friend told me she’d got the news that Dick Dale (King of the Surf Guitar) was in a serious fight with colon cancer, which had attacked him back in the 1960s and changed his life (he became a vegetarian, an environmental activist, and a man who lives in the moment). Dick retired from performing for a time, but got back into it during the 1980s. When Quentin Tarantino prominently featured DD’s famous “Misirlou” instrumental in his 1994 film, Pulp Fiction, Dick Dale was once again elevated into public consciousness.
…

article at Surfer’s Path

DickDale.com