One For One Under The African Sun (Copy Dave Allan) (Photos Clinton Theron)

Ive been accused of being a cynic on more than one occasion. It is the automatic response that all is not as it seems, or something along those lines. Im working on it? Moving swiftly along, during the beginning of October we were set to welcome a team of travelers from TOMS shoes, and our colleagues from Element USA. It was the beginning of the ElementTOMS board and shoe drop. Its been a year or more in the planning from our side and apparently 2 years and some change from the good people across the Atlantic. Here is the concept. For every pair of TOMS shoes you buy, the benevolent people at TOMS will give, gratis, a pair of shoes to a childperson in need. You read that correctly the first time. Buy one, give one away. Its called a One for One model, and TOMS seem to be pioneering a new way of doing things.

"I Survived a Joburg Blackout" (Words Luke Jackson)

The Zoo York international tour to South Africa took place in the second week of April and included visits to Durban, Pretoria and Johannesburg. Zoo riders Zered Bassett, Forrest Kirby and Brandon Westgate made the long trip across the pond and put together what Im calling the most productive international tour ever to go down in the country and, well, the continent of Africa for that matter. They did five demos in six days, hit countless street spots in all three cities, went out every night and managed a trip to the Lion park If thats not a productive week then I dont know what is.