In an effort to bridge the cultural and religious misunderstandings within Australia, artist/surfer Phillip George has designed 30 surfboards with beautiful Islamic motifs. These boards were inspired by Phillip’s trips to the Middle East and the 2005 Cranulla Race Riots that targeted Lebanese Australians. The surfboards are currently on display at the Casula Powerhouse in Western Sydney. For more info check out the BBC article.

Being that my life pretty much revolves around surfing I found Wired Magazine’s article about popular beach communities and their water toxicity levels quite disturbing. The article rates 16 popular beaches based on fecal matter from wildlife, storm drains, and leaky sewage systems… naaasty!  Looking at the list it seems California is the big winner for amount of turds in the water. Seaside Heights, which is close to my home break, falls somewhere in the middle. And surprisingly Coney Island has had zero advisories. Thats good news considering I just moved to Brooklyn and plan on surfing NY during the cold, miserable winter.