while looking for new running shoes two years ago i noticed that at least the new balance high end running shoes were made in the uk or in the usa. new balance is known for its high quality shoes so i bought them right away, glad to support these guys and getting a good running shoe. however i wouldn't wear them in everyday life since this high tech look isn't really my style 😉 nevertheless i really like the clean looking new balance re-issues of the 80's. and the great thing is that many of them are made in the uk, too. even the dudes at peta are happy.

so why this buzz? well, let's just go to an average shop providing all these sports- and skateboard brands. one “cooler” than the other;-) but do you think any of these “cool” brands managed to produce their “scenish” sneakers any different than in form of mass productions under questionable conditions in china or the third world? not one. may it vans or duffs, converse or adidas, nike or globe. so at least new balance shows some attitude that really stands out. their decision is business driven and they too have products made in regions mentioned above, no question about that, but it shows that it is still possible to produce in countries with social standards, trade unions and organized workers.

by the way, as long as these conditions are guaranteed for chinese workers i have no problems at all. my concerns are definitely not patriotic but ethic driven. now if only there would be a clean shaped new balance shoe to use for skateboarding…

haha, that’s an easy rule, right? but it’s quite hard to put into practice nowadays. ten years ago it seemed to be easier. in the skateboarding or punk community nobody wanted to buy from mainstream corporations anyway. buying products from the communities was a good chance to exclude products from corporate assholes. nowadays we know that:

1. most of the small companies went mainstream long ago with all the corporate asshole practices
2. the mainstream corporations figured out ($$$$) how to look like a small company

so for some time i’m trying to find products for my needs with at least some ethics and values. may it be the proof of credibility in the community, sustainability and responsibility or a fair code of conduct. and because it’s very difficult to evaluate these informations, my rule of thumb is trying to exclude products made in countries, where even human rights are not granted. so if you see a guy in a shop pulling everything inside out in search for the “made in …” label, it may be me trying not to buy from assholes 😉

i know i'm a little bit late with this, but if you still don't know about bailgun it's your turn now. bailgun is an excellent, pdf based skate mag with a very unique perspective on skateboarding. and it is free! so if you dig it, support the makers with some feedback 🙂

…is coming to you with this little website. heart warming old school pics with a personal touch, even featuring some well known skaters like ronnie bertino (or some dude with the same name?), ed templeton and matt hensley as well as spots like del mar and fort miley.

on top you get an '89 ray barbee interview out of brian's old, selfmade skatemag. nice read.

…not new at all. but after reading this crazy shit about tom cruise and the scientology rules for giving birth to a baby, i thought what jason lee might think about his hungry colleague?

i have to say i can't really resist this. really nice track. i wonder what happened to skatemaster tate?

this is a great read. jim gray, owner of abc board supply (scarecrow, acme…) talks about his views regarding the trend in the skateboard-industry to produce decks in china. especially the manifesto has interesting insights. in the end the scene has to decide what stuff it will buy and support.
i for myself tried to get abc blanks for my sub-stance boards, but as i'm dedicated to design only a few, handmade decks, abc's minimum purchase limit was still to high for me :-/

that’s why i love the internet: collaboration. while the nike “major thread” campain itself was a very small attempt to fool the kids with an alternative image stolen from hardcore legends minor threat, they pissed many people off in a very short time. just follow this google search. now nike apologizes. another link is provided here.
oh, you can still find the original nike ad here. needless to say i really believe in taking actions. even in the globalized world we have today.

no, i can’t believe it! ok, i hate nike for being the uncaring, third world producing, child abusing, brainwashing, no morality having, profit guzzlin’, environment destroying industry player, but the new ad campain for the nike skateboarding major threat tour is the biggest exploit of punk history i have ever seen. and this makes me hate nike even more.
but do you know who should be killed right away? this self called art director-whore for shoving nike’s giant, corporate dick deep into his paid asshole!!!! what can be more degrading than selling what you once loved for some dollars to a company, who don’t even know what they are buying, as long as it is authentic, modern and credible?
more to read here…, and remember, sometimes good guys don’t wear white. oh, now it’s featured on the dischord website.

ok, this guy may be some motherfuckin’ hustler who just want to make money, but most of our beloved skateboard companies are doing the same while hiding behind their faked independent image.

american apparel is still one of the few companies producing under fair and guaranteed conditions.

in contrast, the major part of the garment industry, like hanes, fruit of the loom, or the like, run sweatshops in the third world or have subcontracts with these sweatshops. check: fruit of the loom, hanes…

so, the next time you buy some skate t-shirt, chances are big to get this mean punkass-skull-design printed on top of some bloodsucking t-shirt blank. take a closer look, fool!

you too hate skatehalls packed with inline-kids and managed by go-cart jocks? shitty music, high prices and stupid helmets? well, there is a way out: grab some friends, rent a hall and make one yourself. sadly it’s not that easy and without the commitment of all it will not work out.
but we pulled it. ladys and gentlemen, this is bluegrind:
www.bluegrind.de, more pics at flipskate…

isn’t this the perfect title for the product sold by the industry today? unfortunately it was not my idea but from a great hardcore band called street trash. think about verbal abuse, bad brains and even a bit dead kennedys, but no, they are definitly not yet another replica band.
if you don’t know them already, check ’em out here and here.