Not here, my friend, not here. Here are just a smattering of the many articles I have written for various publications. Indulge, leaf through the collection of rare comics, try the hummus. Just don't go through the door at the end of the closet. It's not Narnia, believe me. I checked.
Through July 8th (Today) to August 2nd, video game giant, GameStop, is having a massive sale where thousands of games are under $20. And guess what? Some of these games don’t suck!
On the list of games that totally don’t suck that are on sale are Chrono Trigger on the DS, Prince of Persia for the 360 and PS3, and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game-of-the-Year Edition for the PS3, all three of which I HIGHLY recommend you give a whirl (Especially the first one, which is my favorite game of all time, yep yep). But for every Chrono Trigger and Prince of Persia, you also have your Sonic Unleashed, your Mario and Sonic: Olympic Games and your Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. And those aren’t even the WORST of the batch, let me tell you. I wasn’t even bringing UP the just plain bad bad titles, like SingStar (withOUT the microphone, mind you), Hotel for Dogs, and Destiny of Zorro for the Nintendo Wii. I mean seriously, there wouldn’t be a sale at GameStop without absolute crap added on there as well.
What’s most depressing to find on their list of discounted games though is De Blob, which was a little-played Wii game that’s probably going to go the way of Eternal Darkness for the GameCube, as that was another great title that people just didn’t gravitate towards. Why do so many great games meet this fate on the Wii (MadWorld, I’m looking at you).
Some of the games for this sale are used, and some of them are new, so you’re going to have to go to GameStop yourself to find out which is which. Have a fun!
If not, then Morristown resident and executive director of the Morris County Tourism Bureau, Leslie Bensley and her team of tourism attractors has the perfect tour for you.
“We think that Morris County is the great American getaway,” says Bensley, who started these tours about 11 years ago.
Bensley’s area of expertise is the Morristown area, as a large portion of her tours take place there. But that’s not to say that the Tourism Bureau isn’t thinking of expanding.
“We try to shake things up every year,” says Carol Barkin, who’s a docent (A tour guide) and a member of the Morris Township Historic Preservation Commission, “We have a Mendham tour [now].”
This summer, along with their Mendham tour, they also have a new tour called Secrets & Lore of Historic Morristown, where tourists are taken through Victorian houses around the town. There’s another one called Trial of the (19th) Century where retired Judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Judge Kenneth C. MacKenzie, takes tourists through an actual courtroom where he talks about the infamous Antoine LeBlanc murders. And finally, there’s another, brand new tour called Morristown’s Jewel: The Green, which takes tourists through the 300 year history of the illustrious Green of Morristown.
All of these tours and more are part of a whole series called Tours @ 10:00, which are walking tours that take place at 10:00 A.M. on Saturday.
“Having them early Saturday morning is good for two reasons,” Bensley says, “It allows the tourists to get on with their day, and it helps them escape the evening heat.”
Bensley has been in charge of tours in Morristown for the past 12 years now. She feels that as a tourism director, “you need to have a certain product to give to the people.”
But that’s not to say that walking tours didn’t exist in Morristown before Bensley came along. They just didn’t exist in the way that they do now.
“We already had walking tours in Morristown,” Bensley says, “But it was more of a self-guided tour.”
Bensley thinks that the secret of the Morris County Tourism Bureau’s success though is that people actually WANT to be guided through their tours.
“I think a lot of people are looking for things that are interactive,” Bensley says, “It’s like going to the museum. You can either zip right through it, or, [you can] put on the headphones and learn things that you never would have learned before.”
And to add to the experience, Bensley and the gang have added a new feature to their tours—flip cameras.
“A flip camera is very inexpensive and about the size of a phone,” Barkin says, “And you can get your video and edit it and take it out for the Secrets & Lore tour.”
You don’t have to be a Morris County denizen to take the tour though, as Barkin says that there are probably 80% people from Morris County, 15% outside of Morris County, and about 5% of people outside of the country, who take the tour.
“There are between 300-400 people who take the tour [every year],” Barkin says.
Bensley acknowledges that she and her group do a lot of work, but she thinks that it’s all worth it, because she loves Morris County and hopes that people who take this tour will love it, too.
“I think Morris County is a blend of being somewhat rural, but still somewhat a city,” Bensley says, “but you still don’t feel like you’re in a densely populated urban center. And I hope it stays that way.”
Tours are ten dollars and last about an hour and a half. To find out more about the Tours @ ten series, visit the bureau’s website at morristourism.org, or by calling them at 973-631-5151. ***
To see the article on the website, go here: http://cinemablend.com/games/Jackson-5-Song-Will-Be-In-Lego-Rock-Band-And-No-It-s-Not-Dancing-Machine-18539.html
Well, it looks like the Michael Jackson love is started to rain down now that the King of Pop has officially been laid to rest. Gaming site, VG427, says that the Jackson 5’s number one hit song, “I Want You Back,” will be in Lego Rock Band. Um, couldn’t there have been a better pick? I mean, I’m all for the Jackson 5 being in the game and all, but couldn’t there have been a less pedestrian song? Like, say, “Dancing Machine,” or something else equally awesome and not so bubble gum flavored? I mean, yes, I know that people KNOW “I Want You Back,” and all, but it’s such an overplayed and over saturated song that it’s pretty much lost all pop to it.
Now, I’d hate to be a grouch and all (Actually, wait a minute, I LOVE being a grouch), but this is a problem that I’ve been having with both Guitar Hero AND Rock Band over the years--they tend to pick the most popular songs from a group or artist and put them in their games instead of the ones that are a little more obscure (And “Dancing Machine,” isn’t even OBSCURE, by the way, it was number TWO on the Billboard charts when it first came out). I mean, I loved it when I heard a song like “Beat It,” in Guitar Hero: World Tour, and it was great to play that awesome Van Halen solo, but…well, actually, that was pretty awesome, I’m not going to complain about that.
But THIS, I’ll complain about. "Dancing Machine" is SUCH a better song than “I Want You Back,” that it’s pathetic. Just check out this video below. Tell me, isn’t this a far superior choice when it comes to the Jackson 5 catalogue.
If you want to see the article with all kinds of spiffy pictures, then go to the link here: http://cinemablend.com/games/The-Top-Ten-Best-Video-Game-Mascots-That-You-Probably-Didn-t-Even-Know-Were-Meant-To-Be-Mascots-18450.html
Mario? I think I’ve heard of him. Sonic? Yeah, he sounds familiar. Master Chief? Vaguely, I guess, yeah. All bad jokes aside though, there are certain mascots who you just KNOW are supposed to be a company’s pride and glory; whether you see them on commercials, cereal boxes, or in their own movies, certain characters just stand out. And then, certain other characters don’t. Here’s a list of the top ten mascots you probably didn’t even know were intended to be mascots at all.
10. Chuck the Plant—Mascot for LucasArts
Okay, I’m already cheating a bit here, but Chuck the Plant IS a mascot (of sorts) for LucasArts. First making his appearance in Maniac Mansion (Hey, the cursor says his name is Chuck!), he’s appeared in other LucasArts titles such as some Indiana Jones games, and also in some non-LucasArts titles as well, such as Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (Look for a plant named “Charley” in Mia Fey’s office). Ah, Chuck the Plant. Besides you, all I think about when I think of LucasArts is Star Wars. But you kids probably never even HEARD of that movie before. It was a popular film in the 70s. You might be able to find it on Bing somewhere. Maybe.
9. Bubsy—Mascot for Accolade
Bubsy is annoying. Before every stage, he says something stupid like, “Whatever blows your hair back!” and crap like that. And he collects yarn balls instead of monetary things like rings or coins. Lame. Still, and I’m aware that this is a TOTAL contradiction to everything I just said, but I think Bubsy is awesome and I hope he lives on forever. Running, jumping, floating, and doing pretty much everything else you would expect a bobcat with an attitude to do, Bubsy was Accolade’s mascot for about a month before they moved on to other cool things, like Barkley Shut Up and Jam!. But that Bubsy sure was one hepcat while he lasted. Until you put him in 3-D. Oh, Lord, what were they THINKING?
8. Captain Commando—Mascot for Capcom
Wait, Ryu is Capcom’s mascot, right? No, wait, Mega Man is, right? Well, yes, they’re BOTH Capcom’s mascots, but for a very brief time in the early 80s, the captain, probably most known nowadays for being in the Marvel vs. Capcom series was Capcom’s favorite blue boy, appearing on the back of boxes and in other game’s instruction manuals. And this was all before he even had his own GAME, mind you! Talk about presumptuous. Captain Commando is about three shades of badass in a visor, so it’s no wonder why he was their public sponsor for a little while. It’s just a shame that the other blue bomber (Mega Man) pretty much took his place as the character who represented the company. I mean seriously, how many other characters besides Captain Commando have a ninja, a baby, and a mummy as companions? None, that’s how many!
7. Karnov—Mascot for Data East
Wherever GTA IV’s Niko Bellic came from, he has nothing on Karnov, the Slavic badass from Karnov’s Revenge and Bad Dudes vs. NinjaDragon. How badass is Karnov? So badass that he’s even a final boss at the end of the Street Fighter rip-off, Fighter’s History. I know, I know, that game sucked, but still! Karnov can blow fire out of his mouth. How many other mascots can do that? Besides Spiro, of course.
6. Bonk—Mascot for NEC
I wanted a TurboGrafx-16, even though the system sucked, just for Bonk. Bonk, if you can recall, is a caveman that slams his head into things and climbs up walls with his teeth. Fascinating. An interesting story about Bonk though is that he wasn’t even originally supposed to be a video game character at all. Instead, he was originally just a comic character named “PC Genjin,” that became so popular that a game was built around him. Also fascinating. In a nutshell, Bonk was a pretty cool replacement for the hedgehogs and plumbers of the world, and we loved him for it. He was a caveman with a giant head, what else could you possibly want?
5. Bomberman—Mascot for Hudson Soft
Bomberman is the cutest little terrorist you ever did see (And yes, I’m aware that I’m now probably on over 1000 government watchlists now). Bomberman was an interesting choice for a mascot for Hudson Soft, especially since they also had the amazingly awesome penguins from Binary Land as a choice to represent their company (Sarcasm? You bet!). What made Bomberman so viable as a mascot though was the fact that he truly represented the cartoony side that Hudson Soft was trying to display for their games. Plus, with his little blue torso and big white helmet, he’s pretty recognizable, so that’s always a plus.
4. Liu Kang—Mascot for Midway Games
I’m always pretty surprised by this one, even though he seems like the obvious choice. When Mortal Kombat originally came out, it was HUGE! I mean, just check out these people going nuts on “Mortal Monday” if you don’t believe me.
Anyway, even though Liu Kang was gnarly and all, I always thought that Sub-Zero would be a much better mascot for Mortal Kombat, being as how (Wait for it) COOL he was. But no, Liu Kang, which I guess was supposed to be the "Ryu” of Mortal Kombat was made the mascot of Midway, and I guess the world still rejoiced all the same. Still, any mascot that can grab a person by the throat and rip out their spinal cord would be a much more preferable mascot for me.
3. Samus Aran—Mascot for Nintendo
I don’t know if you knew this or not, but Samus Aran is actually the third heavy-weight mascot for Nintendo. She’s like Frankie, the bonus Jonas, of the Jonas Brothers, if you will; a third wheel in an already pretty cool rotation of Mario and Link. What I love most about this mascot though is what a contrast she is with the other two big ones for Nintendo, as her locales are dark and gritty, and she’s a bounty hunter, for crying out loud. That’s a far cry from elves and plumbers. Plus, she looks good in a bathing suit. Not many mascots (Besides the DOA girls) have that going for them.
2. Kratos—Mascot for Sony
We’ve come a LOOOONG way from the box bouncing bandicoot that was Sony’s original mascot, namely in the pasty white ghost of Sparta who enjoys three-somes with nymphos and ripping soldiers in half with his bare hands. What makes Kratos SUCH a good mascot though is that he makes all other mascots look like punks in comparison (Besides this next one, who I’m pretty sure could KILL Kratos with one judo chop to the face). Kratos has probably the most compelling story in gaming right now and is EXCLUSIVELY a Sony character. So if you want to scale Mount Olympus to tear Zeus a new one, you can only do it if you have a Sony system. Now THAT’S what I call a mascot—a character that makes you believe you NEED the system that they’re on. And Kratos certainly does that. I’m pretty hosed that I’m going to have to pick up a PS3 just to play his final outing, but I will do so since I have to. I just love Kratos that much.
1. Segata Sanshiro—Mascot for Sega Saturn
Let me just start off by singing Segata Sanshiro’s theme song (And yes, that’s how awesome Segata Sanshiro is, he has his own theme song). Ahem, “Segata, Sanshiro, Segata Sanshirooooo! Sega Sataaaaarn, shirooooooo!” And that’s it. The song (If you don’t know Nihongo) is basically just his name over and over again and the words Sega Saturn mixed in , but what else does it have to be? Segata Sanshiro was amazing. So amazing, in fact, that I kind of think he was TOO cool for the mediocre system he was on, as the Sega Saturn didn’t deserve a mascot who could literally pick up a human being, throw them, and then have them explode into a ball of flames. I kid you not, he actually did that. Just check out the clip below to see that I’m not joking. What I love MOST about this character though is that his commercials seriously don’t make any sense. I mean, they definitely connect to the game he’s advertising, but the first thing I think of when I think of winter sports isn’t a martial artist out racing a speed skater with his bare feet. I mean, honestly, that’s too spectacular to ever advertise anything other than thongs worn by Tom Brady’s super hot model wife. No wonder this mascot never made it over to these parts. Watch Segata Sanshiro in all his glory below.
Five point three million people nationwide are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. And 350,000 of those people are from New Jersey.
Senior Vice President, Market Expansion, for Eisai Corporation, and Board member of the Greater New Jersey, Alzheimer’s Association, Frank Ciriello, doesn’t like those figures.
“I find it to be a very strange disease,” Ciriello says, who has been a board member for the Alzheimer’s Association for the past four years now, “When you look at somebody who has it, they may look fine. But then you look at them and they don’t remember who you are. It’s a very destructive disease.”
So destructive, that Ciriello and many others get together every year for the annual Alzheimer’s Association Polo Classic, which was cancelled this year and pushed to next year due to excessive rain that interfered with both dates on June 20th and the 27th.
“The rain affected the fields,” says Judith Julian, Director of Communications and Marketing for the Alzheimer’s Association of the Greater New Jersey Chapter, “When you have polo players and horses, you have to watch the fields.”
The Polo Classic, when it occurs, is a way for residents to combat Alzheimer’s Disease by featuring world-class polo players competing before thousands of corporate sponsors and attendees. There are also other activities there that garner funds, such as face painting and an antique and classic car display for all to see.
“As a board member, one of the things I [think is], how can we find additional ways to get money to people in the New Jersey area [with Alzheimer’s Disease],” Ciriello says.
And while the money is definitely helpful, Ciriello doesn’t believe that money is everything when it comes to the Polo Classic.
“It’s not only about the money,” Ciriello says, “but also about how we get the word out there about Alzheimer’s. When you look at the 1-800 number [that the Alzheimer’s Association provides people with], it’s helped people tremendously.”
Ciriello is no stranger to receiving help. When he moved to this country from Italy, he feels he received a great deal of help, making the transition for him a smooth one.
“I feel strongly about [helping others] because when I came here at 18, I was welcomed,” Ciriello says.
This is just one of the many reasons that he finds time outside of his job at Eisai to at one point in time, coach the West Morris Soccer Club for four years, be a volunteer official for youth swim meets at the Somerset Hills YMCA, and be a board member for the Alzheimer’s Association.
“I think as a citizen, you need to give back,” says Ciriello, “and it’s not just about the money, it’s about the time and giving back; like helping somebody put groceries in their car.”
If you or someone you know might be showing the symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease, you can reach the Alzheimer’s Association’s at 1-800-883-1180.
Is it possible for a whole class to be a hero in the community? At the Flocktown Road School in Washington Township, it is, as every student in the fifth grade class contributed to a fundraiser called Math-A-Thon to raise over $3000 dollars for St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
“One young lady brought it [the idea for the fundraiser] up to us,” says Julie Martire, a teacher at the school, “She had a family member who had gone to another hospital.”
That young lady in question is fifth grader, Rebecca Montross, who suggested the idea for the fundraiser after the school set up a pilot program this year called, Fifth Grade Friends, which is a student council committee organized around helping the community.
“We had this big idea [for the Fifth Grade Friends] of, what does it take for people to live and work in a community together?” says Martire.
That big idea blossomed when Montross went to another one of her teachers, Ms. Tasnady, and told her that she had done a Math-A-Thon in her former school. A Math-A-Thon is a fundraiser where children do math problems to raise money for children with cancer at St Jude Children’s Hospital.
“[When she came to me with it], I told her, I’m so busy, can you please take care of it,” Ms. Tasnady jokes.
And Montross did take care of it, organizing a way to get her peers involved. Her teachers aided by getting local businesses to contribute, too.
“We really hit the pavement,” Ms. Tasnady says at an assembly where all the fifth graders were present, “and all the businesses know what you did in the fifth grade, and we raised close to $500 in donations from the community.”
That $500 is in addition to the $3000 the students raised on their own. Martire wants to make it even bigger next semester though by starting at the beginning of the year and getting every grade involved.
“We’re looking to make this an annual event,” Martire says, “and by next year, we want to make it school wide, and then, we’ll try to make it district wide, as this district is so huge.”
It doesn’t stop there, either, as Martire has big plans for what the students can do for the community.
“We were just approved for the Community Day Fall Festival,” Martire says, “We’re going to use the funds [we make] from that to kick off [the St. Jude fundraiser] for next year.”
Martire, as well as all the teachers in the school, has high hopes for the children and believes that they are the arbiters of education for children in the area.
“They are our children,” Martire says, “and we have to curve their learning [to show them] what they can become.”
