Norway’s Bastoy Prison is widely considered the
world’s most lovely place to be locked up (amongst connoisseurs of
such things).
It’s an island one square mile in size. It’s got no fences, no
cells. There’s tennis courts, beaches, saunas, the works. According
to Time, it’s Scandinavia’s line in the sand as far as treating all
humans, well, humanely. rapists, murderers, drug czars—they’re all
there, basking in the sun, debating: sauna now, tennis later? Or
tennis now, sauna later?
And yesterday an inmate—a “sex offender in his 20s”—grew tired
of doubles games and beach bronzing, and set out from the island
via surfboard and plastic shovel, paddling the two miles to shore
before disappearing.
Obviously, with Bastoy being so posh, escape attempts are super
rare. Not just because it’s so nice, but because if you try and
escape and get caught, well, you ain’t coming back to the beach.
Escappees are instead sent to the more standard correctional
facilities.
Time’s report claims the prison’s response to escapes is
particularly precious:
“When inmates come to his island jail, [Arne Kvernvik] Nilsen,
the governor, gives them a little talk.
Among the wisdom he imparts is this: If you should escape and
make it across the water to the free shore, find a phone and call
so I know you’re OK and ‘so we don’t have to send the coast guard
looking for you.’”
As of this writing, the inmate is still at large. And he hasn’t
called.
Loading comments...
Load Comments
0
Heartwarming: “Surfing is for
everyone!”
By Chas Smith
A Rohingya girl shreds Bangladeshi waves and
inspires!
When the act of surfing extends beyond sheer
selfishness it sure does warm the heart. Julian bravely paddling
toward Mick. Tyron Swan duct taping his friend’s paraplegic mother
onto his back.
And here we have Nassima Akhtar in southern Bangladesh. Her
story is a few years old, now, but even more inspiring than ever
because the plight of her Rohingya people is increasingly bleak.
The small minority group, predominately Muslim, hails from Burma
(Myanmar) and is widely persecuted. The Burmese government does not
recognize them as citizens. The women are sold into sexual slavery,
the men killed. Pope Francis recently said that the Burmese
government’s treatment of the Rohingya constitutes war against
them. Thousands try to flee via rotten boats and are lost
forever.
Nassima, pressing through not only ethnic discrimination but
sexual too, is a true inspiration. Get that girl a sponsor!
#ImWithNassima!
Loading comments...
Load Comments
0
Predictable: The Kelly Kut Kanned!
By Rory Parker
The best recent edit of Kelly Slater pulled down
for breach of copyright…
The Kelly Kut, a free-time edit project that distilled
twenty-plus years of the best surfer ever into a beautiful
bite-sized morsel of awesomeness, is no more. A quick trip to Vimeo
to give it a watch shows:
Vimeo has removed or disabled access to the following
material as a result of a third-party notification by Poling
Productions claiming that this material is infringing: The Kelly
Kut
I can’t say I’m terribly surprised. It was, after all,
completely comprised of “borrowed” footage, and in this day and age
it doesn’t matter how creative you are, a DMCA request will take
you down in a heart beat.
Poling Productions, founded by Florida natives Jack and Clark
Poling, undoubtedly has every right to protect their product. And,
honestly, filmers don’t earn shit or get nearly the respect they
deserve, so I can understand feeling salty when someone else reaps
a ton of positive press employing footage they snaked from your
product.
It feels petty, though.
When your website is dead, your company has no social media
presence and the video the footage was lifted from is unavailable
for purchase, what’s the point of enforcing your rights?
Sour grapes? Envy? Outright dickishness?
I know I’m not being fair, and I’m sure if I asked my lawyer
wife about it she could give me ten million totally valid and fair
reasons for the Polings to enforce their copyright.
But that doesn’t change the fact that it was a sick edit, a ton
of work obviously went into it, and I’m kind of pissed because I
wanted to watch it this morning while drinking coffee and trying to
come up with an idea to write about.
Loading comments...
Load Comments
0
Kelly Slater on Mr Porter!
By Derek Rielly
Online clothes store makes wonderful interview with
champ…
Last night as I was strolling through the racks of Mr
Porter, a little Saint Laurent here, Balmain there,
can’t afford either, I bumped into Kelly Slater all trussed up in
his new label.
Fast turnaround, that’s f’sure. One month ago, I was
interviewing Kelly on whether or not the label actually
existed.
Now it’s all over the world’s most prestigious online retailer
of men’s clothes.
And whatever you think of a joint that doesn’t blink at trying
to sell you two thousand-dollar sneakers (Berluti, Playtime
high-tops) and plain grey tees for $1500 (Elder Statesmen, Cutter
Cashmere T shirt) y’gotta admit, Mr Porter has…polish.
And, apart from its grating imitation Fantastic
Man tone (Mr Kelly Slater this, Mr John Moore that), the
interview with Kelly contained within its website as it launches
Outerknown, is very, very good.
Here’s a taste. Link for the whole story below.
On style: Style, for a teen Mr Slater, was only
something to be found in the sea. “The only style I recognised or
understood was surfing style,” he admits. “The way someone’s arms
looked when they surfed, the way someone bent into a turn, or
whatever. I’ve never really thought of people as my fashion icons.”
Mr Slater is both the archetypal surfer and the transcendental one.
He still cuts an amphibious figure at surf competitions around the
world but he’s also at home on the red carpet – recently donning a
dark navy Brioni tux to
the Met
Gala, fashion’s Academy Awards. He’s representative of a new
breed of surfer – evolved from logo-loving rebellious young guns
and competition-rejecting rambling free spirits – into something
more refined. These days, when he’s not surfing – or searching out
new spots – Mr Slater enjoys the good life; fresh cuisine, rounds
of golf and writing and playing music with his guitar (he downsizes
to a ukulele on the road).
“I think that as a kid I always thought I’d have more of a home
and a family, more of a normal life, but as I’ve grown and evolved,
I think it’s not abnormal now [to be nomadic],” Mr Slater reflects.
“Almost all my friends that I’ve made around the world are
travellers of some sort. I don’t think I’ll ever be settled. I love
too many places and people around the world to stay in any one of
those places for too long.”
On his legacy: We all want to have a legacy of
some sort. Although you can’t think too hard about creating it
because then it’s not real,” says Mr Slater. “It’s pretty simple.
I’d like to be thought of as a good, honest guy who stuck to his
principles and followed them through.” He goes on to tell me about
his daughter’s boyfriend’s graduation speech – the tale of how Mr
Alfred Nobel turned his legacy from “the merchant of death”, as the
inventor of dynamite, to one of ultimate pacifism, founding the
Nobel Peace Prize. It’s one of many anecdotes that Mr Slater is
able to bring to mind at any given time throughout our
conversation. He seems genuinely amazed by these stories of wisdom,
almost childlike in his curiosity.
The mention of his daughter catches me off guard. Would he wish
his unorthodox life, I can’t help thinking, for her too? “It’s been
fun and it’s been a blessing; the people I’ve met, the places I’ve
gone and the access I have to experiencing different things around
the world is really second to none,” he says. “I mean, yeah,” he
continues, laughing, and reverting to something of a Southern drawl
in his appreciation, “not to toot my own horn, but you’d have a
hard time finding a better lifestyle than what I got.”
This morning CEO Paul Speaker sent out a heartfelt email:
Hello Friends.
I hope this finds you well
As you may or may not be aware, I am the CEO of the World
Surf League, the WSL.
On Sunday, July 19, time came to a grinding halt for the
surfing world and then to the world at large when three-time WSL
Champion Mick Fanning fought off a Great White Shark during the
Final of the J-Bay Open on live television. It justifiably became
the biggest story in the world and Mick’s actions during the
intense encounter as well as his humility and candor in the press
frenzy that followed have been nothing short of inspiring.
The experience has, however and understandably, left its
mark on Mick. The WSL, with help from our friends, is putting
together an #ImWithMick support campaign as he readies for the
upcoming event in Tahiti.
Details are available in the attached document, but I would
encourage you to join us in supporting Mick through this campaign
in recording a short message of support for him as he prepares to
reengage with his 2015 campaign for the world surfing
crown.
Create a short video via your smartphone expressing your
admiration and support for Mick in his journey back to competition
in Tahiti. Each video should end with “I’m With
Mick”.
Post the support video on your social networks using
#ImWithMick and @WSL
Thank you in advance.
Paul
CEO Speaker and the WSL rallying behind Mick is an inspiration!
But maybe a touch clunky featuring bizarrely hagio… Oh never mind!
#ImWithMick!
I quickly emailed our wisest scribe, Matt Warshaw, to see if
#HesWithMick too. He responded:
My guess, Mick being Mick, is that he’s gone all Iron Man
and will be perfectly fine at Teahupoo. This looks, smells and
tastes like WSL trying to PR-spin the shit out of what happened at
JBay. Ride that shark for as long as you can. I like to think that
Bethany Hamilton has enough devil in her to be rolling her pretty
eyes. While holding her newborn child with her remaining
arm.
Bethany Hamilton really and truly is the world’s greatest living
surfer (nothing against Mick. #ImStillWithHim!).
Loading comments...
Load Comments
0
Jon Pyzel and Matt Biolos by
@theneedforshutterspeed/Step Bros