Monday 9.19.11 - What Will Rutgers Do....? ACC, B1G Ten, Big XII or Stay in Big East........?

- Well the landscape of college sports was pretty much blown to hell over the weekend when Pittsburgh and Syracuse, basically two founding member of the Big East, told the the rest of the league to go screw.... and ran off to the greener pastures of the ACC. Not like we didn't know this was coming, with Nebraska, Colorado and Utah moving last year and Texas A&M forcing there way out of the Big XII as we speak. The PAC-12, ACC, SEC and B1G Ten are the dominant players with the fragile Big East and more fragile Big XII just hoping to survive this new era of mega conferences.

So what does all of this mean to our Rutgers? Well surprisingly enough, even though not too long ago RU was a middle of the pack player in the Atlantic 10, is now poised to likely join the ACC or B1G Ten.

See how the rest of the county is weighing in on the conference shake ups:

• NJ.com - RU in contact with Big Ten and ACC
• NJ.com - ACC is best conference for RU
• ESPN - A truly sad weekend for the Big East
• NJ.com - AD must get RU out of Big East
• Louisville C-J - Pitt and Syracus leaving is a punch in the gut
• NJ.com - Big East and Big XII consider merger
• ESPN - Pac-12 in talks to add Texas and Oklahoma
• ESPN - Texas and Oklahoma meet to discuss Pac-12
• ESPN - Big East school meet to talk about future

Wednesday 9.14.11 - Survivor Kicks Off Tonight with a New Jersey Contestant

- Mikayla Wingle, who grew up in Sussex County, but now lives in Miami we be a contestant on this season Survivor. Wingle is currently playing professional football for the Tampa Breeze in the Lingerie Football League and we recently on the cover of Playboy. We will do some searching and set up a page for her here on NJMAX.com in the next day or two.

She says she wants to be on Survivor to show the world what real Jersey Girl are like!

• Mikayla Wingle's Survivor Bio

Sunday 9.11.11 - Never Forget...

- I know we all know, but we are just saying.... New Jersey lost many a good person 10 years ago today.....

Saturday 9.10.11 - Joey G's - New Sports Bar and Restaurant Opening in Hillsborough

- Here's a quick news flash if you are looking for a new place to try out in Somerset County. Joey G's Grill & Bar will be opening tomorrow in Hillsborough on the corner of Route 206 and Triangle/Falcon Rd, right next to the Applebee's. I'm sure Applebee's is quite excited about this, as Joey G's will feature a brand new bar with 20 big screens, 16 beers on tap, with a lunch and dinner menu ranging from about $7 for burgers to the mid-twenties for prime rib and filets. They are located in the former site of Famous Dave's Rib which closed its Hillsborough location about a year ago.

Make sure to check it out, you can located Joey G's on the internet via their website, Facebook or Twitter, here are all the links:

Joey G's Grill and Bar

Friday 8.26.2011 - Be Safe Out There - Hurricane Irene Looks Like Its Not Going To Miss

- I know we really don't cover real news here on NJMAX, we leave that to NJ.com and News12.com, but we want to make sure that if some how you have missed the news or haven't talked to any the last week, there is a serious weather event heading our way for this weekend.

First off we wish all our friends along the Jersey Shore all the best while they ride out Irene. We want to see at worst light damage that we can get cleaned up for Labor Day Weekend.

Here's what we know so far:

• Evacuations have been called for Cape May County, along with parts of Atlantic & Ocean Counties.
• The Casinos in AC are planning to close for only the 3rd time in their history.
• Tolls have been suspended on the Parkway & AC Expressway for people to move away from the coast.
• The entire state is now under a flood watch, as well as either a hurricane or tropical storm warning.
• Keansburg in Monmouth County has been ordered to evacuate as of Friday afternoon.
• Follow all the lasted news at either - NJ.com and News12.com.

Tuesday 8.23.2011 - Jersey Rocked By Earthquake.... That Was Weird

- A rare earthquake centered in Virginia rattled New Jersey shortly before 2 p.m. today, causing buildings to sway in cities and towns across the region. There were no immediate reports of any injuries or structural damage in New Jersey, but the quake rattled nerves.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported that a magnitude 5.9 earthquake hit at 1:51 p.m. and the epicenter was northwest of Richmond, Va., about halfway to Charlottesville. The Associated Press is reporting the quake was felt in Washington, D.C., New York City and North Carolina.

U.S.G.S. Geophysicist Julie Dutton said an earthquake of this magnitude is rare for the East Coast but that the effects are felt widely in our region because quakes move more easily through the bedrock.

We actually felt it here in the office in Hillsborough (Somerset County). All I can say, it was strange.

Friday 8.19.2011 - Useful Info On Sunscreen From Time.com's "12 Thing We Waste Money On"

- The pitch: If SPF 30 is good, SPF 100 must be three times better.

- The truth: According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, “SPF 15 blocks approximately 93 percent of all incoming UVB rays. SPF 30 blocks 97 percent; and SPF 50 blocks 98 percent.” Think that’s confusing? You’re not alone. Consumers are so befuddled by the (often meaningless) claims sunscreen makers use that the FDA is issuing a whole new set of rules to try to clear things up. What’s more, SPF only measures one kind of harmful ultraviolet ray, and all sunscreens need to be reapplied every couple of hours.

- The exception: You’re very fair-skinned or have a history of skin cancer.

Check out the article pretty good stuff, including.. premium gas, new college text books....

Time.com Story

Wednesday 8.17.2011 - Abercrombie & Fitch Offer To Pay "Jersey Shore" To Take It Off

- In what can only be described as a tongue in cheek publicity stunt, Abercrombie & Fitch has offered to pay Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and other cast member not to wear the A&F brand on air. My guess is that they were already paying MTV for them to wear the brand, as MTV blurs out just about any brand label on shows and music videos (on the very rare chance they play one), in which they are not making a buck.

"Hmmm if They Don't Want Us To Wear Those Clothes Why Make GTL Shirts," he asked, along with a photo of the T-shirt in question. (As "Shore"-ians know, "GTL" stands for the cast's infamous catchphrase, "Gym, Tan, Laundry.")

The Situation tweeted a link to CNN Money's coverage of Abercrombie's stock drop 9% on the news. "Looks like Abercrombie got themself into a Situation!" the reality TV star wrote.

The original statement from the clothing company that has been everywhere for the past two days said that the company is "deeply concerned that Mr. Sorrentino's association with our brand could cause significant damage to our image."

An Abercrombie & Fitch spokesperson continued in the statement, "We understand that the show is for entertainment purposes, but believe this association is contrary to the aspirational nature of our brand, and may be distressing to many of our fans...We have also extended this offer to other members of the cast, and are urgently waiting a response."

Well, clearly they've received that response. MTV has also defended its reality stars, saying in a statement, "It’s a clever PR stunt and we’d love to work with [Abercrombie] on other ways they can leverage 'Jersey Shore' to reach the largest youth audience on television."

EntertainmentWeekly.com Story NYPost.com Story WSJ.com - Story

- An overnight employee at a Rockaway Township, New Jersey Dunkin' Donuts was caught selling sex in addition to Munchkins and coffee drinks after police were given an anonymous tip about the off-menu items.

Melissa Redmond, 29, was taking ten to fifteen minute breaks to make some extra cash in the parking lot, even propositioning customers — and eventually a plain-clothes officer — via the drive-thru window. Cops cleverly dubbed their investigation "extra sugar," gathering info and watching over the premises for six weeks.

Is this the best gig ever for a cop, under cover at a donut shop?

BoingBoing.net NJ.com (Star-Ledger)

Wednesday 7.13.2011 - Bleacher Report Names Olde Queen One of Top 50 College Bars.

- Rutger's iconic local hangout Olde Queens has been named as one of the top 50 college bars in the US by BleacherReport.com.

Big congratulations from NJMAX.com on the official recognition! We always known you were one of the best, now it is official.

Bleacher Report

Sunday 6.19.2011 - The Big Man Has Left The Building. RIP Clenence Clemons 1942-2011.

- As iconic and as classy as they come, Clenence Clemons was "The Big Man" and Bruce Springsteen's right-hand man and anchor of the E-Street Band since they first met in Asbury Park in 1971.

It is a sad day for music not only in New Jersey but for music everywhere. Our heart and thoughts was with Clemon's family and friends and fans worldwide.

Star Ledger Article Clarence Clemons Official Site Bruce Springsteen Official Site Billboard.com Articles Clarence's Wikipedia

Tuesday 3.8.2011 - Tiki Barber Un-Retiring..... aka, "I'm Broke and My TV Career Is Shot"

- In one of those stories that is sad and interesting - in the way that we slow down to look at a traffic accident - unpopular former Giant Tiki Barber is coming out of retirement. One can only speculate the true reason behind this unlikely to be successful move, but you have to assume this is purely about Barber's financial situation, not his love of the game.

When Barber retired he was on top of his game, having run for 1600+ yards in his final season. He had a television career set having a stint with FOX and a new contract all lined up with NBC. He was good looking, smart, popular and looked ready to be the next big pro athlete turns media star. But then it all seemed to go poof.

Tuesday 3.1.2011 - Party On at RU! Rutgers approves Coed Dorms for 2011-12 School Year!

- A gender neutral roommate pilot program will be launching at Rutgers. Twenty to 30 students will participate in a pilot program during the 2011-12 school year, which will allow students to choose their roommates regardless of gender. Three dormitories in New Brunswick, New Jersey, will be part of the pilot program, a Rutgers spokesman said. Students must apply to live in the gender-neutral rooms, which will be reserved for sophomores, juniors and seniors.