The global public skatepark movement planted its flag on the shores of a new land on October 30, 2007 when Galit Skatepark opened in Tel Aviv, Israel. Galit is the largest skatepark in the Middle East, covering 28,000 square feet. For the past 25 years Israeli skaters have been subsisting on plywood construction, pay-to-skate parks in various states of disrepair, a few private ramps and choice street spots that were quickly sessioned until the arrival of the rent-a-cops. Despite its hot, dry climate, Israel has very few swimming pools per capita, and every one we’ve spotted had squared walls with a square bottom. Ah, yes, there was one miserable attempt to create a mellow bowled skate spot in a Jerusalem park years back. Unfortunately, the local contractor mistranslated the phrase “smooth concrete surface” into “slipperyas- ice surface,” and hence, Sacker Park earned its nickname “Sucker Park.

Green is a hot topic these days. Green stands for the environment and money. While we are proud to publish what will be the first of many stories relating to the environment, we fully realize this is a difficult, multi-layered topic that hits a number of hot buttons. Like most of you, we don’t find it that easy to navigate this “sea of green.” For some reason, however, we are compelled to keep hitting the buttons other magazines refuse to touch.

Full-Size cover from the Winter '08 issue, featuring the art of Jim Philips.