Etnies Donates 2,000 Pairs Of Shoes To Homeless

Every Easter for the past nine years, etnies has given the embattled locals at LA's skid row reason to be psyched. Now you can make it a full decade strong of giving back to those in need. Check the heartwarming press release below... FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 21, 2008 etnies Donates 2,000 Pairs of Shoes to Homeless and Celebrates 10 Years as a Supporter of the Los Angeles MissionLos Angeles, CA – etnies, a major supporter of the Los Angeles Mission for 10 years, gave back to the community today by distributing free shoes to those less fortunate. Owner and CEO Pierre André Senizergues and the rest of the etnies team hand delivered 2,000 new pairs of shoes to the homeless on Skid Row at the Los Angeles Mission Easter Event. While the changes in our economy have greatly impacted society, the amount of men, women, and children without a home increases. “Growing up I had the opportunity to meet a lot of homeless people while I was out skating spots in the city, and I really felt for them,” said Senizergues. Skid Row holds the majority of the homeless in Los Angeles County with more than 7,000 walking the streets in 2007. etnies’ action to give back was part of the mission’s annual Easter Event that fed more than 3,000 homeless people.

Providing free skateboards to the under-privileged

Skateboarding has saved thousands of lives from drugs, gangs, depression, abuse - you name it. I know plenty of you reading this can testify to that. I want to tell you about a way to give a little back, and to help other kids out the same way - the Doogood Conservatory. The Doogood Conservatory is an international non-profit organization whose mission is to provide free skateboards, surfboards and snowboarding packages to the under-privileged youth. Listen to what founder Ari Evan Gold says:
"At risk kids need an outlet. They don't listen, however, they need a mentor and Doogood gives them an opportunity to see if skateboarding, surfing or snowboarding are that silent mentor for them. Board sports give kids an incredible amount of self worth and accomplishment. Boarding keeps them busy, away from the couch, out of gangs and satiated at the end of the day. It gives a lot of these kids a reason to wake up the next day. Don't let them be left out, because their dad is in jail or their mom made some wrong choices."It's easy to give - they take Paypal, and you can get tax credit if you're looking for it. Check out the Doogood Conservatory website ( http://www.doogood.org/index.html) for more info. If you know of any other skateboarding - related charities, or anything like this, please post a comment and spread the word.

Vans Tour in Brazil

Vans Tour Brazil : stard on March 25th in São Paulo, and 26th Curitiba and finishing 27th in Porto Alegre.

more information: www.vansbrasil.com.br

Warrandyte Skate Comp. Sunday march 16th.

Afends is offering 2000bucks.

B r a z i l i a n C o n s u l a t e G a l l e r y

THE BRAZILIAN CONSULATE IN LOS ANGELES OPENS ITS DOORS FOR THE NINTH EXHIBIT OF BRAZILIAN ARTISTS ON March 13th, 2008

Ana Paula Negrão (photographer/ skater) and Bruna Massadas come together in the next B C G exhibit, showing two diverse and important aspects of human social life: sports and religion.

Renown artist exhibit their artwork through the creation of this unique gallery space within the Brazilian Consulate in Los Angeles. The purpose of the Brazilian Consulate Gallery (B C G) is to provide informative, educational and cultural exchanges between Brazilian artists and the general public through the exhibition of works of art by Brazilian artists living within the jurisdiction of the Consulate.The B C G presents individual and group exhibits that express the rich diversity of Brazilian culture and society through works by Brazilians artists. The B C G is integrated into the reception area of the Visa and Consular rooms within the Brazilian Consulate in Los Angeles where visitors to the Consulate will have an opportunity to view the Brazilian art.

General Consulate of Brazil in Los Angeles: Wilshire Blvd, suite 711 & 730, Beverly Hills, CA.

more information: http://www.brazilianconsulategallery.com/

Premiére of Desafio de Rua Video

On the next monday, March 10th will be carried through premiére of the video of the 7th edition of the Challenge of Street CemporcentoSKATE. Premiére will be opened free for the public on the Cine Olido, Downtown São Paulo. Beyond the exhibition of the video, will be also the launching of edition 121 of the CemporcentoSKATE magazine, with the complete covering of the 7th edition of the Challenge of Street.

They will be 3 sessions: at 19, 20 and 21 p.m .

Cine Olido: Avenida São João, nº 473, Centro - São Paulo

more info. http://cemporcentoskate.uol.com.br/

Drive Season 3

The Drive crew spear-headend by Mike Vallely cruised up the Brazilian coast en route to Rio de Janeiro. Along the coast we crossed paths with a beachside skatepark with massive concrete vert ramp and other 70´s addities. Mike V. Levi Brown and the Drive crew spend the afternoon there skating and documenting. Than hit the scenic coastline that lasted deep into the night before arriving in Rio de Janeiro.

Throught the popular film, "City of God" people wordwide became familiar with the Favela n Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The area is most knows for the many problems including violent police, drugs and overall harsh living conditions. Mike V and crew caught wind of a different story going on, community activists the City of God encouraging education and recreationas a path towards a more positive lifesyle. They were wecomed in to experience this first hand. Skating can sure take you down some amazing paths. On the last day the got started with a visite to the iconic image of Rio, the Christ that stands atop one of the talest points. The crew then headed to a neighborhood skate park where Mike hung out with the kids, finished up some interviews for the show and completed the day with a demo.

Mike V. frontside air

Levi Brown follows with a 360 flip

Mike V 180 melon

Mike and City of God guides

Christ and Mike V

SLAUGHTER AT THE OPERA

Globe and Thrasher have joined together to present:

MARCH 1, 2008 SYDNEY NSW, AUSTRALIA 10:00am
Sydney Opera House gates opened 2:00pm
Slaughter starts Following on from the all-time success of last year's Double Stack Cash Attack on the Gold Coast, Globe and Thrasher once again hd puted their heads together to raise the bar higher, this might actually be as high as it gets.
Slaughter At The Opera is the evolution of the annual pilgrimage to Australia for invited professional skateboarders competing for an obscene cash prize purse.
Spectators was be treated free-of-charge to an all-out assault by the skateboarding elite on a purpose built set of rails perfectly recreated from iconic locations in the US.

Rails: Specific, perfect recreations of the Outback [El Segundo] and UCI [University of California, Irvine] rails built in a line

Commentators: Jake Phelps, Brian Schaefer, Ryan Clements, special guests
Prize purse was $50,000 1st= $25,000 2nd= $15,000 3rd= $5,000 4th= $3,000 5th=$2,000

Photos by: Igor Pachi

Photos by: Igor Pachi