Video: Over Venice

You can get a great view of the Venice skate park on this video, taken with a camera attached to a remote-controlled toy plane.

Global Warming Protest

Hundreds attended a rally against global warming earlier this year in an undisclosed location.

May your holidays be appropriately temperate and may all your wishes come true.

Love all your friends at Surf Like a Girl.

Cool Gift: Adopt a Sea Creature

Via The Daily Green: If you're looking for a non-commercial gift idea for a loved one who worships the sea, consider adopting a sea creature with Oceana, a non-profit organization that fights to protect the ocean and its inhabitants. The recipient of your gift gets a cookie cutter or stuffed animal as a token and Oceana uses donations to fight the good fight in protecting dolphins, sea turtles, penguins, and more.--Stef McDonald

Look All Around: Cool Images

This comes from a cool site that has 36o degree images. Be sure to click on "full screen" to see it in all its glory.--Stef McDonald


Surfing at Eisbach in Munich

On Wednesday, December 9, Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) claimed her second consecutive Vans Triple Crown title by beating out Sophia Mulanovich (PERU) in the Billabong Pro 2009. Read more about Stephanie here.

Whale Tale: Sweet!

One of those heartwarming emails that gets forwarded landed in my inbox today (thanks, Robert) about a whale that was stuck in traps but eventually freed. The story, cut and pasted from the email:

"If you read a SF Chronicle front page story, you would've read about a female humpback whale who had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line-rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, and a line tugging in her mouth.

A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farallon Islands (outside the Golden Gate) and radioed an environmental group for help.

Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad-off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her.

They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her.

When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles.

She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed them gently around--she was thanking them. Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives.

The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth said her eyes were following him the whole time, and he will never be the same.

May you, and all those you love, be as fortunate to be surrounded by people who'll help you get untangled from the things that are binding you.

And may you always know the joy of giving and receiving.

I pass this on to you in the same spirit."

Old School: Alaia Surfboards

The New York Times has an article (thanks for pointing it out, Dad!) on the rising popularity of the alaia surfboard, a traditional Hawaiian longboard that is thick and wide and made of wood--with no fins. My arms hurt just thinking about paddling one, but I'm intrigued enough to want to try.--Stef McDonald

Seven Ply Skateboard Design

I heart Etsy in a big way and can pass hours clicking around the site. With the holidays looming, I got a little lost today, adding a lot of fun items to my cart for some loved ones on my list. Search the site for "recycled" or "repurposed" or "upcycled" to find artists and other crafty types who sell items that might otherwise end up in landfills. (Also try searching the stellar vintage section.) Seven Ply is a seller who offers jewelry and other trinkets made from discarded skate decks (above, earrings).--Stef McDonald

Venice Skate Park: Website

There's a networking hub on the web now for the Venice Skate Park, where users post photos and videos and connect with one another.