Afghanistan, being the center of the ‘next war’ over terrorism, is no safe haven for children. However, children are there, waging war themselves to stay alive and hopefully live to have happy, productive lives. Now a couple of Aussies have come to the capital, Kabul to offer skateboard lessons. Yes, skateboard lessons. The lessons are free to kids across the social spectrum, from minister’s children to street kids, and offers them a chance to also learn English or basic computer skills. It seems there is also a decent amount of girls learning to skate in Skateistan. How rad is that?

Detroit is the breeding ground for both techno and cars, so it’s about time someone maka techno using a car! In this case, it’s a Jeep Cherokee that a bunch of crazy yet dedicated fools used to make a techno song in real time. Richie Hawtin may not be losing sleep just yet, but this just may be the future of the funk… One question: would the song be better if it was made with a Prius?

I remember ringing in 2000 very clearly. I was home still living with my parents on Long Island and was in my senior year at the University. Stage, my band of brothers since I was 14, (without knowing at the time) was very close to signing with Madonna’s Maverick Records. Still I felt failed, lost and empty. Like many, I actually did believe in the possibility that the world would end that very night. Not from computer malfunctions and the loss of technology causing riots and chaos, but from something beyond — aliens, monsters, tidal waves or maybe just waking up from the dream that we thought was life.

A ton of random stuff happened in the last year, from deaths of superstars and some pretty close friends. We got a new president, and a bunch more reality TV which started to mirror the scandalous lives of sports figures. 2009 may have been the most historical year for changes in many ages, but there’s still really not much else to say about these dramatic shifts — other than LET’S PARTY!

Austin Stephens and posse came up with an awesome skate vid—seemingly homemade but with expert tricks and moves. It features probably the dopest use of Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” we’ve heard in a minute, too. And while the skills on display here prove ultra smooth…

When it comes to skateboarding, Jack Smith keeps it hardcore He’s been a passionate enthusiast since the sport began—he even gained a Guinness world record for long -distance skateboarding—and in the Internet age, he’s been an acclaimed blogger on the topic for a good while. Indeed, there’s no one better then Smith to put together the ultimate skater bible, which he did: The Skateboarder’s Journal: Lives On Board 1949 – 2009.

I have such a deep respect for professional athletes. I am actually writing this blog at the breakfast table here in Aspen with revered Olympic field hockey player, Taeka Takema. My friend, who I will be headed down the mountain with today, won the silver medal for Holland in the Athens Olympics, and is on break before the world championships begin. We are trading war stories from the road and realizing the similarities and the differences in what we do.

There’s a whole lotta pressure each year to make the leap into the New Year a big bold one ! yet alas it can kinda go either way (at least on the party level). So with that feeling in mind, and at least for our lucky Amsterdam crew, we’re delighted to invite you to start (or continue) your entry into 2010 with a Jan 2 dance your pants off family affair at the magnificent Sugar Factory with the NL debut of Re:Redux plus DFA’s Shit Robot and so much more.

Comedy and indie rock make such strange but perfect bedfellows, but they’re bedfellows nonetheless. Lately every cool comedian seems to be the pet of some cool indie band, and vice versa. But its not just the lower-tier funnypeople who we’re seeing at Arcade Fire shows – it’s, like, dudes that are in Ratatouille and lay-deez who are in hit shows like The Office. Below, we break down the kings and queens of comedy who don’t front when it comes to getting their indie on

Watching a young version of the Beastie Boys perform grunge rock is kind of like watching Dan Marino throw darts. While they definitely appear and sound unpolished, you know they have the mechanics to get the job done, thus the potential to go on to bigger and better things. But this video, from New York’s public access program The Scott and Gary Show, was shot in 1984; Hip-Hop wasn’t lucrative yet.

We posted this one back in November when we came across it, and truly dig it so much that we’re re-posting it to make sure that all y’all see it. Any day’s a good day to be blown away by some Wizard Smoke – an awesome piece of skateboarding film making by the Salazar and Don’t Sleep crews, it’s simplicity is stunning – enjoy !

If only it was this simple to be able to spend your next decade on Pandora ! Thanks to Peter Ammenthorp Lund’s inspired video and photo shop skills we can at least dream of it while like me heading off for a 3rd or 4th round at the IMax.

The life of a Rockstar! – If you like sleeping in a van, grocery shopping at gas stations, not knowing where or when home is anymore, then this is the life you want (if you will work for free and can tune a guitar email me. This past year I played over 200 shows and pretty much travelled to or at least through every state in this country. The only way now that I can appreciate where I am is by the people …..

I write this one to you from Aspen, Colorado, where I am celebrating life and the New Year. I started snowboarding when I was about 14. Up until then, I was skiing since I was very young, but made the transition when the sport was still quite new. I remember being looked down upon on the mountains. It was like a mountain racism towards this new sport that the old-school did not quite approve of or understand. Since then, we have seen it become very much an equal and it is even an event in the Olympics.

According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day. This means that in a 65-year life, that person will have spent 9 years staring at a television. There was a time when I completely stopped watching TV in my life. I thought it was the drug to make us all passive and easily brainwashed.

High tops for the holidays! K-Swiss does a limited release on a Classic, with a twist (0r two) — a high top in fall colors. My favorite is this pair of blood red kicks in patent leather. No pun intended: they are pretty killer.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve over indulged already this holiday season and still have the last hedonistic hurdle of New Year’s Eve to jump over. So let’s see if we bump it to Jan 3rd then that leaves 75 days to get in shape for the new and revised LA Marathon March 21st run, complete with a dashing and fun ‘Stadium to Sea’ route. There’s also a sweet new website to help with training tips and keep you up to date on the what’s the where’s and the hows on this very doable challenge.

I am taking 3 long and deep breaths. As slow as I can, I am cleansing all I know around me so I can focus on exactly where I am. I hear a curious crowd turn from chatting to cheering because they know what it means when the lights go down. One more breath–I open my eyes, grab my guitar, and walk onto the stage. This is where I belong. To many, these are the levels of “Rock Band” or “Guitar Hero” but for me it is very real. From the early age of 14, I have been on countless stages.

Hip-hop and sports go together like… hip-hop and sports? Really nothing goes better together: how many rappers rap about Madden, and, like, doesn’t Jay-Z own a chain of sports bars in addition to his, you know, sports teams? Chuck D once said that rap was hip-hop CNN, but rappers these days talk so much about sports it’s more like rap is hip-hop ESPN. Sometimes rappers are even better commentators than the pros themselves!

When I was a kid I remember the day Mark Foo died. This revolutionary big wave surfer never came up after riding his wave in. It was as if this liquid mountain was his chariot to the world beyond. He was riding in his passion and will always live on in the hall of greats. As a kid I grew up surfing on the east end of Long Island. Montauk is the place that I consider my birthplace–where I learned who I was. Spiritual is how I felt the day I heard Mark Foo died doing what he loved. I didn’t think about his beliefs, his status, or his bank account. I thought about a man who was in one moment living out his purpose and then the next literally ceased to exist. He was a hero to me and that is because fear could not follow him where he was going. I like the idea of living without that fear.