Latest news with #Quiksilver
South China Morning Post
13 hours ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
How champion surfer went from ‘inoperable' brain tumour to Olympic glory leading France
Jeremy Flores faced numerous challenges in the water as he carved himself a hugely successful surfing career, but nothing prepared the Frenchman for the tumultuous months that followed his retirement in 2021. Within months of stepping away from competition, Flores, the most successful male European in surfing history, was diagnosed with a brain tumour that turned his life upside down. He survived to tell the tale, after years of silence, in a new documentary, Dos au Mur ('Backs to the Wall'), which premiered in Paris on June 4. 'I told myself it was time to talk about it,' he says. 'I needed to get it off my chest, to send a message to my children and others who might need it. This was clearly the hardest ordeal of my life.' Flores rides a monster wave during the first round of The Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau invitational at Waimea Bay in Waimea, Hawaii on February 25, 2016. Photo: AFP Flores was born in Reunion, a French island in the Indian Ocean that is a paradise for surfers – in spite of the large number of sharks.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Swordsman accused of murdering schoolboy ‘became psychotic after taking cannabis'
A man who murdered a 14-year-old schoolboy with a Japanese sword experienced psychotic episodes after taking cannabis, a court has heard. Marcus Arduini Monzo, 37, believed 'he was in a battle against evil forces' when he allegedly stabbed Daniel Anjorin as he walked to school in Hainault, north-east London, on April 30 last year. He is said to have 'moved quickly like a predator' behind Daniel before inflicting a 'devastating and unsurvivable chopping injury' to his face and neck. The Spanish-Brazilian national, from Newham, east London, is also accused of attacking four others, including two police officers, during a 20-minute rampage. He has denied eight of the 10 charges against him, including murder. A trial at the Old Bailey heard on Wednesday that Mr Monzo's mental state had been 'materially altered' by cannabis use and, at the time of the alleged attack, he had 'developed a cannabis induced fully fledged psychotic episode characterised by reality distortion symptoms'. Tom Little KC, prosecuting, said Mr Monzo was 'informed by his delusional beliefs that he and his family were in mortal danger, and that he was engaged in a battle against evil forces at a time of revelation or Armageddon'. He said cannabis was identified in Mr Monzo's urine and blood samples after the incident and a 'large amount' of cannabis was also found in a search of his house along with a 'skinned and deboned cat'. Mr Little, quoting forensic psychiatrist Prof Nigel Blackwood, who will later be called by the prosecution, said: 'In Prof Blackwood's opinion, cannabis misuse appears to have been the principal driver of his mental state deterioration at this time. 'The violence would not, in Prof Blackwood's opinion, have happened in the absence of such voluntary substance misuse.' Mr Monzo appeared in the dock wearing a bright green jumper with short, cropped hair and stubble. He looked furtively around the court at times and spoke often to security guards sitting on either side of him. Daniel's family were also in the court. Mr Little said Mr Monzo had left his home just before 6.30am in his van, wearing a yellow Quiksilver hoodie, black trousers, and black shoes. He said the attack started at about 6.51am when he drove his van into Donato Iwule, a pedestrian in Laing Close, causing him to be 'catapulted some distance into a garden'. Video footage of the incident was played to the jury, in which Mr Iwule, who had been walking to a Co-Op store where he worked, can be heard screaming in pain. Mr Monzo allegedly then left the vehicle and approached Mr Iwule with a samurai sword. Mr Little said: 'Donato Iwule shouted at him 'I don't know you' and the defendant said 'I don't care, I will kill you'. 'That comment from the defendant tells you, you may think, everything you need to know about his intention that morning.' Mr Monzo is alleged to have swung his sword at Mr Iwule's neck and torso, but he was able to roll away and escape over a fence. 'If he had not managed to escape, it seems inevitable that he too would have been killed,' said Mr Little. Mr Monzo is then said to have driven further down Laing Close before exiting the vehicle. At this time, the court heard that Daniel had left his home and was walking to school wearing sports clothes, his backpack, and headphones. Mr Little said: 'The defendant had obviously seen him and the defendant then moved quickly like a predator behind Daniel Anjorin. 'He lifted the sword above his head and then swung it downwards towards Daniel's head and neck area. 'Daniel instantly fell to the ground. The defendant then leant over him and used the sword again to injure Daniel.' He added: 'The force used was extreme. It involved a devastating and unsurvivable chopping injury to the left-hand side of Daniel's face and neck'. Mr Monzo is then said to have taken off Daniel's backpack, dragging the schoolboy's body along the road in the process. The court heard that emergency services had been called to the scene at this time. Mr Monzo is said to have then attacked Pc Yasmin Margaret Mechem-Whitfield, who pursued him down a series of alleyways behind residential properties while he was still armed. He is then alleged to have entered a nearby house where he attacked a couple in their bedroom. Mr Little said the couple's lives had been spared only because 'their four-year-old child woke up and started crying'. He said there were many police officers in the area at that time, and that Mr Monzo then became 'surrounded in a garage area nearby to the other attacks', where he attacked another police officer. Mr Monzo was finally disarmed and detained after he climbed onto the roof of the garage, he said. Asked about the attack in a police interview, Mr Monzo said his personality switched and that 'something happened, like a game happening', and it was like 'the movie Hunger Games'. Mr Little said: 'He said that one of his personalities is a professional assassin.' In court last month, Mr Monzo denied eight of the 10 charges against him but admitted two counts of having an offensive weapon – a katana sword and a tanto katana sword. He also pleaded not guilty to the attempted murders of Mr Iwule, Sindy Arias, Henry De Los Rios Polania and Pc Mechem-Whitfield as well as wounding Insp Moloy Campbell with intent. Mr Monzo denied aggravated burglary and possession of a bladed article relating to a kitchen knife. The trial continues. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
The Citizen
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Tweni 2's promises to be bigger and better
Tweni 2's promises to be bigger and better The annual music and surf event, Tweni2's held at The Spot Backpackers, is back. Keep May 24 open, as it's going to be a cracker of a day, jampacked with surfing action, and a full line-up of SA music, till late. The exciting news is that Quiksilver has joined the 'Tweni2's family' as the main sponsor this year. Andrew Lange (aka Rooster), one of the event organisers, said they have an incredible line-up of surfers and bands to make the day rock. In fact, Lange reckons, it's the best they have had so far. 'Entertainment this year is going to be bigger and better than before with a special guest band from Cape Town called Half Price and Tweni2's local legend Chewing The Hornet and DJs such as, Detroit, Courtzy, Savage Koala and Hutch,' he said. Singer-songwriter, Jason Hartman, who was the 2009 co-winner of Season 5 of Idols, is the opening act, and will be on stage from 12.30. Guest band, Half Price is a satirical non-profit party-ska-punk band. Since its inception in June 2001, the band has released seven studio albums as well as a 'best of' album in the USA through New York-based punk rock label Punk Outlaw Records. On the surfing front, Tweni2's 2025 pairs surfing compo will consist of 16 teams representing more then 15 beaches from the North, South and Wild Coast. The teams so far are: Squid Beaks, Silver Bullets, North Coast Chirpers, 031, 6 Coffees No Lunch, The Scottie's Snappers, Warners Brothers, The Laaities, Umzumbe Underdogs, Tweni Locals, Trafalgar Saints, Shockwave, BuzzNicks, Tweni Poison, and then two mystery teams. The first heat is expected to kick-off at 07:30. For Quiksilver/Tweni2's T-shirt pre-orders, WhatsApp Kate for more information on 065 5623082. For tickets, contact Peter on 083 2850739 or Lindy on 083 5579979. HAVE YOUR SAY Like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Los Angeles Times
01-03-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
New documentary explores Orange County's ascendence to surfing, skateboarding epicenter
It took producers Scott Hays and Terry Corwin about 18 months to make their new documentary 'The Surf-Skate Business Evolution: The OC Effect.' The Laguna Beach residents ended up reaching a conclusion in considerably less time — namely, that Orange County is the epicenter of the surf-skate culture worldwide. Many of the industry's bright minds showed up as the documentary held a private premiere Thursday night at the Lido Theater in Newport Beach. 'The people in this room tonight launched an industry that currently is worth $13 billion,' said Hays, the founder of nonprofit multimedia company OC World. 'That's billion, with a 'B.'' Steve Van Doren, the son of late Vans co-founder Paul Van Doren, continues to play a key role in the family company, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary next year. He flashed a 'shaka' hand sign associated with the surf culture as he entered the theater. Bob McKnight, co-founder and former chief executive of Quiksilver, entertained the guests during a post-documentary question-and-answer session moderated by Hayes. He described how Danny Kwock once stole board shorts from the brand's initial beach house at 56th Street on the Newport Peninsula. Kwock later ended up a team rider for Quiksilver. 'Eventually, he ran marketing for the whole damn company,' McKnight said with a laugh. Quiksilver, like many others, had humble beginnings in Orange County. The brand was first sold at the Hobie store in Dana Point, McKnight said. 'We were selling as many as we could make,' he said. 'It was on fire. Not just us, but the industry was just rabid for anything new and cool. Especially from Australia, so we were really lucky in that regard, that it came from Australia.' 'The Surf-Skate Business Evolution: The OC Effect' documentary is narrated by Sugar Ray lead singer Mark McGrath and tells the story of decades of influencers. It features interviews with 30 innovative surfing and skating personalities, Hays said. Many either came from or did business in the area of Costa Mesa and Newport Beach. Van Doren is a proud Estancia High School graduate, Class of 1973. He maintains those community roots, noting that he recently had a reunion with some of his Eagles football teammates and coach Phil Brown. 'It's a little feather in the cap to be able to stay in business these days and make it through,' Van Doren said. 'It's all about the action sports, the surfers and skaters and BMX riders. They might not have lived in Costa Mesa, but they always had come to businesses, coming down to see Quiksilver or Hurley or Vans. Everybody found their way down here to Costa Mesa and Newport and Huntington.' The industry has hit a time of transition. Authentic Brands Group, which had previously acquired Volcom, purchased Quiksilver, Billabong, Roxy, RVCA and several other popular brands from Boardriders in 2023. Authentic recently pulled licenses previously held by Liberated Brands and gave them to new operators. Then, in January, Liberated closed its corporate office in Costa Mesa and laid off nearly 400 employees. Boardriders had acquired Billabong in 2018, creating the world's largest action sports company. McKnight said the recent headlines looked bad, but he still believed in the brands of Boardriders. 'Wherever they are, they're really good brands, and it's really hard to kill a global, good brand,' he said. Newport Beach resident Thom McElroy, who attended Thursday's premiere, is a Volcom co-founder who designed the now iconic stone-shaped logo. Originally from Huntington Beach, he made the National Scholastic Surfing Assn. national team, traveling the world with coaches Peter 'PT' Townend and Ian Cairns. 'There weren't a lot of rules,' McElroy said. 'It was more of a playground growing up for us. The beaches were playgrounds, the parks for skating were playgrounds. Everything was. It was brand new, and it wasn't expensive to get into these sports back then. 'You could buy a cheap surfboard and a cheap wetsuit, and you're out surfing. The same thing with skateboarding. As things progressed, you could use better equipment, but it was an open environment to express yourself. You were able to wake up in the morning and then do what you wanted to do all day.' McElroy said he never would have dreamed then that the industry would evolve into what it has become. 'When you got a box from a sponsor, you cherished it,' he said. 'You knew that it was coming out of a warehouse, and they needed to sell that stuff.' Surf industry pioneer Dick Metz, 'Five Summer Stories' producer Greg MacGillivray and Volcom co-founder Richard 'Wooly' Woolcott were also among the Q&A panel members Thursday. Corwin, one of the documentary's producers, was the founder of nonprofit Lion's Heart, a platform that connects teenagers to volunteering opportunities. This was her first documentary. 'We're excited to see the reaction from the people that are in the industry,' she said. 'All of these companies started right here, and more. It's kind of crazy.' She added that the documentary will be submitted to film festivals, and the producers hope to sell it to a larger audience platform.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Joann to close 500 of its 800 fabric and craft stores
Joann, the fabrics and crafts retailer, is shutting down hundreds of its stores nationwide as part of its bankruptcy proceedings. The company filed a motion in court on Wednesday seeking approval to begin closing approximately 500 locations. In a statement to ABC News, the company's spokesperson said the move is "part of the ongoing Chapter 11 process and our efforts to maximize the value of the business." Quiksilver, Billabong and Volcom stores are closing in the US in 2025 "This was a very difficult decision to make, given the major impact we know it will have on our Team Members, our customers and all of the communities we serve," the spokesperson said. "A careful analysis of store performance and future strategic fit for the Company determined which stores should remain operating as usual at this time." The spokesperson also emphasized that "right-sizing our store footprint is a critical part of our efforts to ensure the best path forward for JOANN." The closures follow Joann's announcement last month that it had filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware to begin a sale process and maximize the company's value. Despite the bankruptcy proceedings, the company said at the time that Joann stores and its website remained open, serving customers as usual, and employees were still receiving their pay and benefits. Joann is part of a growing trend of retailers closing stores as consumers reduce spending. With other brands like Kohl's and Macy's also scaling back, more than 15,000 store closures across all businesses are expected in 2025, double the number from last year, according to Coresight Research. Earlier this month, surf and skate brands Quiksilver, Billabong, and Volcom also announced store closures in the U.S. Liberated Brands, the former license operator of these stores, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which will result in over 100 locations shutting down, according to a filing. Joann to close 500 of its 800 fabric and craft stores originally appeared on
