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“Overbearing idiots” fined for surfing through Venice’s Grand Canal

<p dir="ltr">Two “overbearing idiots” who were caught surfing through Venice's Grand Canal have been identified and had their boards confiscated.</p> <p dir="ltr">A furious Mayor Luigi Brugnaro shared footage of the pair calling for them to be found and punished for “making a mockery of the city”. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Here are two overbearing idiots who make a mockery of the City,” his translated tweet read.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I ask everyone to help us identify them to punish them even if our weapons are really blunt... we urgently need more powers for the Mayors in terms of public safety!</p> <p dir="ltr">“To those who spot them, I offer a dinner!”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="it">Ecco due imbecilli prepotenti che si fanno beffa della Città… chiedo a tutti di aiutarci a individuarli per punirli anche se le nostre armi sono davvero spuntate… servono urgentemente più poteri ai Sindaci in tema di sicurezza pubblica!<br />A chi li individua offro una cena! <a href="https://t.co/DV2ONO3hUs">pic.twitter.com/DV2ONO3hUs</a></p> <p>— Luigi Brugnaro (@LuigiBrugnaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/LuigiBrugnaro/status/1559808148843765760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">In a later post, the Mayor Brugnaro announced that the pair were caught and fined. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Speaking of the two “heroes” of this morning, we have identified them!” he updated his followers.</p> <p dir="ltr">He did not disclose how much their fine was but thanked everyone for their cooperation on catching the two. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Twitter</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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"Hold my beer": Tradie captured surfing huge croc

<p>A photo dubbed “the most Australian photo ever” has gone viral after a tradie decided to ride a monster crocodile.</p> <p>The tradie tied a rope around the reptile’s mouth and made a lead to get the crocodile into the shallow waters, where the photo seemed to be taken.</p> <p>The photo went viral on Reddit, with many surprised at the photo.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841243/crocs-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/49f2c7cca044439095cbcaa831aad306" /></p> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>'You know for sure that the last thing he said was "Hold my beer,"' one user said.</p> <p>'Glad he was wearing hi-vis... you know for safety,' another wrote.</p> <p>'This guy takes the Australian surfer cliche to a whole 'nother level,' another commented.</p> <p><em>Photo credits: Reddit</em></p> </div>

Family & Pets

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An ode to surf music

<p>The first tune I ever wrote – a proper tune, with an intro, verses, choruses and a middle bit – was a surfing instrumental.</p> <p>I have always been a pretty crappy singer, and I figured that the guitar could sing for me (I know, I know). But like anyone who grew up in the 60s this genre made sense to me. It was both fun and familiar, and there was room for storytelling in the sound of the guitar.</p> <p>Surf music was born with the release of Dick Dale’s first single Let’s Go Trippin’. Dale was born in Boston, but arrived in California as a teenager and started surfing. He played a left-handed guitar, but with the strings upside down, that is with the low strings at the bottom and the high strings at the top. This quite odd arrangement made for an idiosyncratic sound, all the physical movements up-ended; the dynamics reversed, the emphasis offset.</p> <p>Dale first played <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOlmBC1DlsY">Let’s Go Trippin’</a> in 1960, and it was a wild and crazy sound, the birth of a genre.</p> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WOlmBC1DlsY"></iframe></div> <p>The fact that he has a Lebanese background informed his style. The frenetic oud and tarabaki playing that drives Lebanese pop music of the 50s seeped in, along with his love of drummer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Krupa">Gene Krupa</a>’s snappy snare.</p> <p>It didn’t take long for Dale’s influence to spread. Not really very surfy, but in 1962 Monty Norman’s James Bond theme for Dr. No was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqcevBO9fi8">played by the tremendous John Barry Seven</a> and is a great example of the foregrounding of the edgy guitar sound that Dale perfected.</p> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GqcevBO9fi8"></iframe></div> <p>The first of the teen surf movies, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056860/">Beach Party</a>, was released a year later: tales of teen idiocy, with Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon at the helm, centred around summer, surf, music and endless partying.</p> <p>At least a dozen of these films were made, formulaic and sanitised, with established comedians like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Lynde">Paul Lynde</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Rickles">Don Rickles</a>, promoting a romanticised image of surf culture.</p> <p>Although the movies were built on beach party guitar bands, the music charts and radio waves of the time were also home to beautiful, evocative guitar instrumentals. The Ventures from Washington state had their first hit with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owq7hgzna3E">Walk, Don’t Run</a> in 1960.</p> <p>They played mostly covers, but developed a new sound - pounding toms and unison picking guitars - releasing many twangy gems including covers of Joe Meek’s Telstar, The Champs’ Tequila, as well as two of the touchstone tracks of the surf music genre in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqC3BjIyq_0">Pipeline</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjiOtouyBOg">Wipeout</a>.</p> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tqC3BjIyq_0"></iframe></div> <p>In the UK, The Shadows were exploring similar terrain, with hits like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoN6AKPGkBo">Apache</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rR0trsOUaY">Wonderful Land</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VycZVyApqew">Atlantis</a>. They took a more lyrical approach, stepping away from the blues-based patterns of the US guitar artists, and sliding in minor chords and more complex structures.</p> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VycZVyApqew"></iframe></div> <p>But the thing that really sets The Shadows apart is the sound: the guitar amp producing washes of spacious reverb, as well as the watery bubbling of the vibrato; the guitar tremolo stretching the strings into tonal waves, and the orchestral layering on some of the grander tracks.</p> <p>Santo and Johnny’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rwfqsjimRM">Sleepwalk</a> is a lesson in subtle mood-making with its lap steel guitar evoking the distant Hawaiian islands.</p> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2rwfqsjimRM"></iframe></div> <p>It appears in the repertoire of both The Ventures and The Shadows, inspires another deeply influential beauty, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QooCN5JbOkU">Albatross</a>, by Fleetwood Mac, with Peter Green on guitar, and echoes through the decades to the wonderful <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueMaYzvXX8w">work</a> of Richard Hawley.</p> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QooCN5JbOkU"></iframe></div> <p><strong>Australia in the 70s and beyond - great beaches, great surfers, great music</strong></p> <p>The beaches south of Sydney produced Australia’s most notable surf band in 1961. The Atlantics had their genetic roots in Greece and Eastern Europe, an immigration success story years before Vanda and Young.</p> <p>Their biggest hit, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3agVtY4Z6M">Bombora</a>, is a surf rock classic and was an international sensation in the earliest days of the genre.</p> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3agVtY4Z6M"></iframe></div> <p>They had another big hit, The Crusher, and then in 1964 released War of The Worlds, awash with echoes and distortion and moodiness. It was innovative and brave, but ultimately spelled their demise as a surf band.</p> <p>As the 60s hit their twilight, and the wave of political enlightenment from Prague and Paris reached our shores, the blonde, post-war beach party was dragged out by the undertow. The Summer of Love, then Woodstock came and went, leaving the surfing subculture chilling with a joint in the back of the panel van rather than wildly dancing around the bonfire with a bottle of Mateus Rosé.</p> <p>The twangy instrumentals, with their snappy drums and lightning guitar lines stretched and grew, as synthesizers and production techniques replaced the earlier simple arrangements. The sound changed and became spacious, echoing the endless drift of the waves, and the slow drama of the incoming storm.</p> <p>In 1970, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0248194/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Morning of the Earth</a> was released, becoming the first film soundtrack to earn a gold record in Australia. It not only has tracks by singer-songwriters and pop stars but also by the acid-surf instrumentalists <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamam_Shud">Tamam Shud</a>. It became an enormously influential film, capturing the idyllic nature of the surfing culture.</p> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/K3uLj-YYaBs"></iframe></div> <p>But the twang hadn’t gone. The sound of the surf guitar is core to the music of The Cramps and The Pixies. It surfaced in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricky_Wilson_(American_musician)">Ricky Wilson</a>’s great guitar lines for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szhJzX0UgDM">The B52s</a>.</p> <p>It rang clear as a bell in 80s Australian bands like The Sunnyboys, Surfside Six, Radio Birdman, The Riptides, and Mental As Anything.</p> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/b2D84Ma-CxI"></iframe></div> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CINvgez73g">The Cruel Sea</a> rose in Sydney in 1987 from the ashes of Sekret Sekret, settling around the ebb and flow of guitarist Danny Rumour and guitarist/organist James Cruickshank and the rhythmic undertow of Ken Gormley and Jim Elliot.</p> <p>Instrumental rock became groovy again. Eventually, Tex Perkins joined and they became award-winning mainstays in the rise of 90s festival culture.</p> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H_wam2QImAY"></iframe></div> <p>More recently <a href="https://headland.bandcamp.com/music">Headland</a>, who began in 2014 playing live original instrumentals to gloriously evocative Super 8 footage of big surf at Lennox Head in the 70s, have restored faith in the power of the instrumental for the post millennium. Surf music lives!</p> <p>I only ever played my little surf instrumental a few times and then that version of our band exploded – Lindy Morrison left to join the Go-Betweens and we entered a more angular and fierce phase. But last year, in a performance at the State Library about Brisbane posters and how they help to tell stories about our past, our culture and our place in the world, I played it again.</p> <p>It felt odd to be doing it on my own, but it also felt both funny and appropriate. The tune had the twang of a simpler time. As does <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJWuQV2u9ns">this little gem</a> from Brian Wilson, who believes that smiles can fix the problems of the world. <!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/128914/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: http://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sJWuQV2u9ns"></iframe></div> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/john-willsteed-107411">John Willsteed</a>, Senior lecturer, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/surf-music-in-praise-of-strings-sand-and-the-endless-swell-128914">original article</a>.</em></p>

Music

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Surf club rowers have close call with whale

<p>A team of surf club rowers have got the surprise of their lives in the surf off Coolangatta from an overly friendly whale that appeared out of nowhere.</p> <p>As you can see in the video above, it was a beautiful morning on the Gold Coast when this team headed out on their morning row. But we bet when they were heading out they didn’t think they were going to get a surprise from the world’s largest mammal. </p> <p>The whale emerges from the surf, mere inches from the boat, leaving the rowers absolutely stunned. They watch as it swims leisurely around the rowers, before they notice some more movement in the water on the other side of your boat.</p> <p>An animal emerges, and it’s actually the whale’s cub following its parent around.</p> <p>What a memorable experience, and they’re so lucky to have got it on film. Have you ever had a close encounter with a whale? Let us know in the comments section below.</p> <p><em>Video credit: Facebook / 7 News</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/2016/08/sea-narrowly-escapes-pod-of-killer-whales/"><strong>Seal narrowly escapes pod of killer whales</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/travel/domestic-travel/2016/09/baby-humpback-whale-provides-the-perfect-photo/"><strong>Baby humpback whale provides the perfect photo</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/travel/domestic-travel/2016/09/quintessential-big-australian-animal-experiences/"><strong>5 quintessential big Australian animal experiences</strong></a></em></span></p>

News

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Dogs on surfboards steal spotlight at Festival of Surfing

<p>For most dogs, the only physical activity they’ll be getting up to today will probably involve fetching a plush toy from the lounge room, figuring out which end of the couch to lie on, or perhaps digging up some gardenias from their backyard.</p> <p>But the playful pooches in this video aren’t like most dogs.</p> <p>These dogs are part of the Dog Spectacular at the Noosa Festival of Surfing, the only surfing event in the world where a master and dog compete as a team.</p> <p>Dogs of all breeds and ages padded out with their owners for some pure, surf-loving fun as the catch the perfect waves on pristine Noosa Beach.</p> <p> “It’s a wonderful experience for dog and human,” said Festival Co-Founder Paul Jarratt. “It’s not really about winning or losing; it’s a celebration of all the good things we love about surfing, the ocean and environment that we are privileged to have in Noosa. I think that’s why we attract surfers and their families from all over the world, we’ve got 20 countries represented this year.”</p> <p>To see some of the highlights from this year’s competition watch the video above. Don’t you think the dogs look like they’re having fun?</p> <p>Or do you think it’s wrong for dogs to be surfing?</p> <p>Share your thoughts in the comments.</p> <p><em>Video: YouTube / NoosaSurfFestival</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2016/06/this-hilariously-awkward-dog-is-stealing-hearts/"><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">This hilariously awkward dog is stealing hearts</span></strong></em></a></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2016/06/puppy-born-without-back-paws-gets-second-chance-at-life/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Puppy born without back paws gets second chance at life</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/06/how-to-cope-with-a-jealous-pet-when-grandkids-come-along/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>How to cope with a jealous pet when grandkids come along</strong></em></span></a></p>

International Travel

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The power and beauty of crashing waves in Australia

<p>As anyone who’s been dumped by a huge wave in the surf would agree, there are times where ocean can overwhelm you with its incredible, raw power.</p> <p>But there’s a beauty in this power.</p> <p>Australian photographer Warren Keelan has sought to illustrate the power and beauty of waves in Australia in a photo essay that examines the power of waves.</p> <p>Keelan’s photography certainly captures the intensity and energy exhibited by these swelling tides, but the images also reveal how each wave is unique. When you scroll through Keelan’s compelling photo essay you almost imbue each wave with a personality.</p> <p>Growing up in Wollongong Mr Keelan’s fascination with the water began early, and has continued into adulthood where he’s documented waves for the last four years.</p> <p>“I’ve always had a fascination with nature, especially the ocean and its ever changing forms, and I am compelled to capture and share what I feel are special and unique moments in the sea,” Keelan told Lost at E Minor.</p> <p>“I love the raw, unpredictable nature of water in motion and the way sunlight brings it all to life, from both above and below the surface. For me, the challenge is creating an image that hopefully tells a story or leaves an impression on the viewer.”</p> <p>To see all the images, scroll through the gallery above.</p> <p>It’s a difficult decision, but which photograph is your favourite?</p> <p>Please let us know in the comments below.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/travel/international/2016/02/tripadvisor-top-10-beaches-2016/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>TripAdvisor names top 10 beaches for 2016</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/travel/domestic-travel/2016/02/guide-to-nudist-beach-etiquette/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>7 things you need to know about nudist beaches</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2016/01/rouge-wave-at-sydney-figure-eight-pools/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Massive wave highlights just how dangerous Sydney’s Figure Eight Pools can be</strong></em></span></a></p>

International Travel

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One-eyed cat loves to surf

<p>Since he was 6 months old, Kuli the one-eyed cat was lapping up the ocean and riding waves on a surfboard in Hawaii.</p> <p>His owners say the cat was introduced to water at a young age because he was bathed in it regularly when he was recovering from eye surgery.</p> <p>These images capture the gorgeous cat riding some waves in Hawaii.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2016/01/man-gives-shivering-stranger-the-shirt-off-his-back/">Man gives shivering stranger the shirt off his back</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2016/01/eat-like-an-okinawan-and-live-until-100/">Eat like an Okinawan and live until you’re 100</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/body/2015/11/best-outdoor-exercise-options/">The best ways to exercise outdoors</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong> </strong></span></p>

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