One year later, twice as crowded.
Nearly one year ago, the United States’ Department of Homeland Security embarked on an ambitious program: deporting 100 million illegal immigrant surfers thereby rendering pumping ending right-handers empty. The poster advertising the mission, featuring art by the Japanese artist Hiroshi Nagai (who did not approve of that message), sent American surfers into spasms of ecstasy.
Jam-packed lineups clearly the results of scum sneaking across the border to drop in, en masse, and go straight.
U.S. surfers, no matter political persuasion, each smiled. Those who fall right smiled externally while gloating. Those who fall left smiled internally while social message-ing #alllivesmatter.
But all lives don’t matter equally, everyone knows that, and lineup cloggers are well down in the bottom tier.
And so surfers of all stripes waited patiently for relief.
A year on, lineups are even more crowded, if that can even be imagined, jammed to the proverbial gills leaving all surfers to wonder: Does President Donald J. Trump just tell us what we want to hear?
Sad face emoji.
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Equal rights and lefts and straight handers for Ivanka…
….and Hamilton.
The surfing in this film trips me out. To see ALL of THOSE waves in one video is almost too much. Need to watch it again on my big screen. Best wave in the world, hands down.
I think it was Barny asking for music suggestions the other day? I might take the request as an opportunity to familiarise with some of Australia’s best bands.
Tiday is an old school Aussie classic rock band. Driving, creative, iconic
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you …The Divinyls :
( As with any high energy music it’s volume UP! )
Saw them at a little pub in Kew front row table less than 10 metres from chrissy. What a show.
Good on ya.
that’s some solid rock n’roll. I love the music production as well. Producer knows his stuff.
This came out when I was…well, nevermind. It was a long time ago. I haven’t listened to it in years. I Touch Myself probably got more airplay in the states.
What about Samantha Fox’s “Touch Me”? Was that popular?
it’s such a bop, as the kids say. So melodic.
It wasn’t on my radar, but that could be a timing thing.
Maybe she wasn’t as popular on our side of the pond, save one or two songs.
but she was a ….big… deal in the UK. Such a beautiful lady but, an expression that I read in a book recently, crazier than a two-bob watch.
Samantha Fox…..
Thinking of her reminds me of the Aussie Music show host Molly Meldrum and when he’d introduce this band Promises. He’d always describe the lead singer as “the girl with the biggest hits in music “. Say it fast and you’ll get the not-so-subtle joke.
Bill Sharp, who I recognise from some surf videos, is starring in the Newport Beach flooding news. No swell but record high tides bring flooding to 38th Street
Looks like Balboa is going the way of Atlantis, even if briefly.
May not be too briefly, though. Time will tell.
saw a homeowner standing by the boardwalk talking about how the need to build an underwater reef outside Balboa to reduce the wave energy. I can’t get over thinking about the cost-benefit analysis of how much money should be spent by the state, and by the federation, to save coastal homes in California. The bill is already likely massive.
$11.4 m on one sandpumping project in Balboa alone. Likely $100m spent by the end of the year, seeing the cost of getting things done in a wealthy place like California.
That’s small money, but will the final cost actually be billions to save a few billion in property value? The local politicians can’t look like they’re not trying because the people are wealthy enough to fund a campaign of a political adversary who will say that he/she will find the money to do so. Maybe the answer is to spend a few hundred million, or a billion, to say that they tried. All very fascinating.
I wonder what grok or president trump would have to say to the homeowners. Likely nothing positive or supportive.
Almost forgot to follow up on that…
https://lbpost.com/newsletter/rebuilding-the-peninsulas-beach-will-cost-millions/
And…
https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/long-beach-alamitos-bay-dredging-project-sand-replenishment/
This definitely won’t be a popular take, but it’s a take, nonetheless. It’s also not a tantrum, sign off, or wank. Just the random thoughts of an anonymous individual who used to enjoy this space but no longer really does.
It was once a place for different ideas, mindsets, perspectives, and general approaches to life to come together in one place. Those different perspectives and approaches were once appreciated and respected, whether one agreed or disagreed. For the most part, everyone kept it in check (albeit there were a couple outliers, but it did seem it was a schtick for some as opposed to actual stances and thoughts). What it has turned into is almost the polar opposite of that. It seems to now be a place anger and hatred sprinkled with “look at me” stories filled with things about “me”. Sometimes that can be ok when it’s on topic (or at least adjacent in some sense ala the BG way) and interesting. Other times, it comes across as a desperate attempt at relevancy or a need to fit in and gain acceptance of some sort. Where it goes wrong is the overt anger and general tone of “everyone can go fuck themselves, I am going to do what I want, how I want, when I want and if you don’t like it fuck off and go somewhere else”. Sorry, but that was never the way things went BTL and there were people around to keep those in check that did it. Now? That’s gone along with the people who were keeping it in check by calling people out. Many, if not most, of the regular commenters have left, moved into other spaces, or are just reading and not commenting. Perhaps, they have just changed their fake name to another fake name (why anyone does that is beyond lame) but that’s another story altogether. Maybe this is all a good thing, maybe it’s not. Time will tell. What isn’t a good thing? The actual anger and hatred that is expressed toward anyone who doesn’t agree with one’s comments, ideals, principles, etc. The coup de grace is the people who have decided they can’t stand any type of moderation of any kind yet have no problem telling others what they should or shouldn’t post. These are the people who are anti-authority, anti-establishment, anti-anything that doesn’t support their own thoughts, ideas, principles and needs, yet the same people will tell others that their opinions don’t matter, are incorrect, and shouldn’t be expressed.
Bottom line, the place has become a skeleton of its former self, dominated by only a few, with no desire for independent thought. This isn’t about any one commenter in particular but, if you are thinking or feeling it’s about you, it probably is in some sense.
Going through comments from just a mere three years ago, when I joined, shows a rogue’s gallery of incorrigible (I had to look up how to spell that and I was WAY off) characters who have left for pastures new.
Was it the arrival of the new, New Sarcastics or was it our newly-highlighted pro-israel stance? Will we ever know why? Do they even think about us?
Now that you’ve poked the bear I hope we can have a lively discussion btl, sans excess mud-slinging. Would be a shame to lose Barry when we don’t even have a single Englishman here.
There was a solid period at the start where it was the who’s who of the surf world mixed in with the degenerates and rat bags of the surf commentary world.
I used to be able to see all the email addresses. Very interesting to see names vs their troll account and what they’d say.
Was Dooma the South African Dooma or was it another Damien?
Lighten up Francis.
You ever read through the archives?
There was just as much stupidity, hate and need for relevance as there is now, maybe more, with everyone going all in trying to be a master of edgelord comments.
Maybe you remember it through rose colored glasses.
Your ideas don’t matter, mine even less so, but we put them out there all the same because, fuck em all, that’s why.
Pretty soon the dynamics will change along with the players and this forum will look and feel different, yet still be the same.
It’s just the way of the world
I miss H.C. he truly hated me . Good way to start the day.
Happy Camper was excellent. One of my favourites.
agree. remember plenty of times you’d wake up and there’d be 300 comments- 290 of which were just rage bait political back and forths between the usual suspects.
way more civil now.
Emotions ebb and flow. All part of the fun.
Ben Marcus comes to mind, incendiary and a group think bubble popper.
I also remember one guy who got so flustered by a certain moderator that he posted over 300 comments of random text in the space of 20 minutes.
That guy was a real piece of work.
Ben offered up some solid anti everything shit. He is missed
I found one of his last efforts, when he was signed in as “Commenter”. I think it may have been related to Martin Daly’s island and the future of satellite internet.
the abuse he copped was legendary. People were ready to string him up.
People enjoyed calling him ….. the c-word. Spirited stuff.
(definitely not missed, but he has a blog if you want more Ben in your life)
He is better off away from BG as suspect he incurred a beatdown as some point
Only time ever Chas has
asked me to ban someone was Ben, JP too threatened at one stage to quit unless Ben was axed.
For the record I didn’t ban him at said times but far later for just being on auto repeat.
Also Ben choose not to come back, was off the banned list for ever and a day.
I recall that stretch as it was wild.
You were so hungry for a ban. Far more entertaining not giving you the satisfaction. I think it was the birth of the Nuclear badge!?!
Was it?
I can’t remember.
Ah the good old days🤣
I think you may have missed a recent melt down of his.
It caught us off guard, as he was spitting poison. Lots of blood was pressured.
Talking bout me?
If so you were most likely the only one caught off gaurd.
After the second term of Trump that was definitely the case, before not so much.
Covid times were pretty memorable.
Wasn’t it David Byrne who said “same as it ever was”
Well said and I recognize certain of my lesser traits in your Mein Kampf effort. That said, the anti-authority, anti-establishment tenor of most on BG, myself included, is what makes this place an ever-evolving shitstorm of perspectives most of us are not exposed to in our daily lives. I appreciate the difference of opinions that BG commentors offer up and YES it has changed since I found this wretched site in ’21 while trying to learn more about Sophie Goldscmidt when she took over US Ski and Snowboard team.
And of course I’m here to learn, gain perspective and blow it out as I have to behave in my everyday world but most of my circle knows where my head is when not working…. and I’ll make some self-centered comments to piss off folks.
The piggy tits comment was the line in sand moment for me and a visual downfall in the commentary.
When will you write an article about your time in Europe?
Been some low, hateful, negative shit of late. Responses speak for themselves.
Remember all the hate you used to bring to Negs, or the stalking style hate replies to Gila, and SC?
Yeah me neither…
Why is this triggering you so much?
Just offering up some perspective.
Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind. Can’t say I haven’t put the time into hand holding instead of hating. That ship has sailed.
Must’ve missed that one. Though I am relatively new.