Pssst…want a new iPhone? The lines are short in Morristown

Robert Gordon loves his gadgets. But when the web designer recently saw 600 people lined up for the new Apple iPhone 4 at the Short Hills Mall, he got back in his car.

Today, he was all smiles in Morristown after breezing in an out of the new AT&T store near the Green.

“I figured this would be the store. I was sure nobody knew about it yet,” said Robert, who works in town for New Jersey Monthly magazine.

The Morristown AT&T store opened earlier this month, as the first retail tenant at the 40 Park luxury condo complex on the former site of the Epstein’s department store. Today is the first day the iPhone 4 has been available for sale to walk-in customers, and some stores already are sold out, according to one account.

Word inside the Morristown store is that traffic has been steady all day. We saw a few customers there at lunchtime; waits were no more than 10 or 15 minutes.

Shelli Cabana,  a dentist from Boonton Township, proudly showed off her new iPhone, as teenaged daughters Kate, 19, and Kelsey, 14, watched with a hint of envy.

“I love my iPhones. I use them for everything,” Shelli said. “I’m excited. It has video capability, longer battery life, better pixels…whatever that means!”

“She’s lucky,” said Kate, who’s not yet eligible for an upgrade.

Robert Gordon, who had been using the iPhone 3G model, said he was lured by the iPhone 4′s multi-tasking ability and its faster processing speed. The HD video camera was an added enticement.

“I was going to buy a Flip (camcorder), but this adds everything in one package,” said the Livingston resident.

Robert said he was okay with AT&T’s decision to scrap its unlimited data plan in favor of a metered system. He also is unfazed by reports that gripping the phone with the left hand can interfere with its antenna and mar voice reception.

“We’ll see how it goes,” he said. “I’ll be the first one back here if there is an issue.”

Morris County Career Networking Group

What a success the most recent MCCNG session was, over forty professionals in transition participated.  On June 28th, 2010 Mr. Bill Graham, Graham Corporate Communications, gave a presentation on ‘Likeability – a power tool for communications success’ providing an edge to the members present. 

The next meeting is Monday, July 12th and will feature career coach Abby Kohut.  Please join us at 9am for two hours at St. Peter’s Church 70 Maple Avenue Morristown, NJ.                                     – Jack Renahan

MG Kids reports on Khaliah Ali’s Morristown visit to combat child obesity

Today’s MG Kids report is about a recent program where parents and kids learned through activities and speaking with other people that a healthy lifestyle is fun, reports Alyse Jefferson, age 11. “The My Program For Life event was fun and had a lot of information about how to stay healthy,” she says. “Hopefully this gives you some tips on where to start if you want to learn more about maintaining a healthy weight.”

Tomorrow, watch for more earth-friendly art created by young clients of Homeless Solutions.

MG Kids welcomes children’s original artwork, stories and news articles. Click here to find out how to contribute.

By Alyse Jefferson, MG Kids correspondent

On Saturday, Khaliah Ali, daughter of former Heavyweight Champion of the World Muhammad Ali and spokeswoman for Banding Centers of America was at the Hyatt in Morristown.

Several sponsors had tables at the event with literature to explain their weight-loss services and fitness programs.  To keep the event attendees laughing, Taylor Mason, a comedian, was there to warm up the crowd.

I caught up with Khaliah Ali to find out what tips she had on how kids can stay healthy.

“I think kids should stay active, participate in sports and stay safe – safety is key,” Khaliah said. “If a kid wants a snack, it should be healthy.”

Asked if she had struggled with her weight, Khaliah replied, “Yes I have, since I was a little girl. It was such a challenge, but challenges can be good; I have turned it into a positive part of my life.”

To stay healthy and maintain a healthy lifestyle, Khaliah said, “I exercise almost every day, lift weights [and] like to hike, bike and learn new healthy recipes.”

Childhood obesity for children age 5-18 has “become a really tough situation that became very difficult,” Khaliah said.

When asked why she is a spokeswoman for Banding Centers of America, Khaliah replied simply: “Banding Centers of America has all the ingredients to make someone successful for life.”

Khaliah elected to have weight-loss surgery six years ago.  “It is called a lap band. For me it was the best choice, but I tell everyone to look at all the options,” she said.

Banding Centers of America was the main sponsor of the event. “Khaliah is a band patient, and the band goes around your stomach and helps people lose weight,” said Timothy Herbert, director of operations for Banding Centers of America.

Cathy Garrison at the sponsor table for Garrison Center for Healthy Living told me a little about Dr. Jordan Garrison’s services. “Dr. Garrison performs weight-loss surgery but also helps people understand how to stay healthy and lose weight.”

Later I had a chance to speak with Nicole Hecht, the event organizer, to get her take on childhood obesity. “My role is to put together the event and make everyone who comes happy,” replied Nicole.

“I think childhood obesity is definitely a problem and a growing epidemic that needs to be fixed as soon as possible,” Nicole said. “Children follow what their parents do. For example, if your parents don’t eat healthy, you wouldn’t either; but if your parents ate healthy, you would, too.”

Alyse Jefferson, 11, lives in Sparta and recently started to attend St. Peters Episcopal Church.  “I love to play basketball, write, and read books about mystery and adventure,” she says.

Mark the date: The MorristownGreen.com Film Fest is set for Aug. 20. Get your videos in!

We are pleased to announce that the Third Annual MorristownGreen.com Film Festival will be held on Friday, Aug. 20, under the stars, on the lawn of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Morristown.

The first two festivals were on weeknights; this time we’re going for a Friday evening so people can relax a bit more.

A few folks have sent in videos already, which is great. But we need more, so crack out your FlipCam, iPhone 4, webcam or whatever else is handy and start shooting!

The deadline to enter is August 1.

Rules are simple:

1. Keep it clean

2. Under five minutes long

3. Use at least part of one of the songs from local artists that we have posted on MorristownGreen.com, and credit the artist(s) in your movie.

Please send your video file on a CD or DVD as a .mov, .wmv or .avi file, in the highest resolution that you have.

Send videos to: MorristownGreen.com Film Festival, attention: Kevin Coughlin, c/o St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 70 Maple Ave., Morristown, NJ 07960

By sending your video, you agree to let MorristownGreen.com post it online and use it for promotional purposes. We CANNOT return your discs.
A panel will select the videos for the festival based on originality, style, message, quality and variety. Preference will be given to local entries. Videos that don’t make the final cut still may be shown online at MorristownGreen.com.

Please include your name, address, email and phone number, a short synopsis (one paragraph or less) describing your film, a paragraph about yourself with a digital photo, and the title of the song(s) used in your video.

You have a movie in you. Set it free!

Redeemer Youth Update – Day 3

News from Dulac Louisiana

Never have I been hotter and never have I worked with a finer group of young people.
What a day! We started out at the home of a nice couple, who are trying to recover their home that was under six feet of water as a result of Hurricane Gustav. There is debris everywhere, the interior of the house was destroyed, and the tin roof needs replacing. They have two children, and want very much to get them out of their small apartment now that a third child is on the way!

Jake Anderson got his official roofer’s status as he and Diana helped to clear old tin and  lay down new!

In the meantime, Sophie, Collin and Nat worked like demons with Melissa to help clear piles and piles of wood and other debris. What we thought were rock pieces all over the floor turned out to be river mud that had hardened.

We were working just fine until a downpour came. The cooling off was wonderful, but  working in soggy clothes was uncomfortable.

Last night was a bit of a challenge as they have segregated the boys from the girls in separate sleeping spaces (It is a Methodist rule). This resulted in 20 women in a very small space with minimal air conditioning. To keep the kids cool they camped out on the kitchen floor.  However , we spoke to the Director, and tonight we, along with the St. Peter’s women, have been moved into a wonderful pre-school space with air conditioning. It is a good thing because these kids are exhausted (and so are we)!

There will be a short service tonight (there is, each day, a youth led morning devotional, and evening prayer service), and we eat, and then…. sleep!!!  Tomorrow, we will do more of the same work, and both St. Peter’s and Redeemer will lead the service tomorrow night.

That’s all for now!

Nat, Colin, Sophie, Jake, Diana, and Melissa

More than 30 members of Lucchese crime family plead not guilty to N.J. racketeering, conspiracy

View full sizeN.J. Attorney General's OfficeThirty-four members and associates of the Lucchese crime family were indicted on charges of racketeering and other offenses. The indictment is a continuation of Operation Heat, a year-long investigation that culminated in several arrests targeting...

Morristown-Beard scrubs varsity football for season

Morristown-Beard is giving varsity football a year off, because the roster is too thin, reports The Daily Record.

The Crimson finished 1-9 last season with only 19 players by the final game; the team will play a junior varsity schedule this fall, according to the newspaper.

Morristown Tae Kwon Do Club teaches kids life lessons

Growing up in the Dominican Republic, Yeison de los Santos easily could have wandered off the right path.

“There were many chances for me to go the wrong way,” he recalls. He credits his study of tae kwon do with keeping him headed in the right direction. “That saved me.”

Immigrating to the United States at age 20, he spent his first four years practicing the martial art in his uncle’s backyard; he couldn’t afford the pricey lessons. “It broke my heart,” he says.

Now 38 and a Morristown police officer, the fifth-degree black belt works to prevent such heartaches among local youngsters. Known to the kids as “Mr. Jason,” he runs the youth program at the Morristown Tae Kwon Do Club, giving children and teens the chance to learn the sport and tae kwon do’s life lessons at an affordable price.

On Saturday, more than 50 youngsters and a few adults participated in a club competition at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer. The night before, Jason and some of his students polished the parish house floor as their way of giving back to the Morristown church that periodically hosts them.

In 10 years, youth participation in the club has grown from 10 children to 108. A total of 240 have participated over the decade, Jason says, with youngsters starting as young as 4 or occasionally 3. A 5-year-old recently tested for his red belt, one level below black belt, and broke an adult board — thicker than what youngsters usually tackle. “He broke it no problem, better than any adult.”

While the kids learn kicking and punching, however, Jason sees larger goals. “My goal is to find the best way in life: being flexible and adaptable,” he says.

“Tae kwon do is ‘the way of kicking and punching.’ … Through the kicking and punching, you’re going to find your way. I’m an example of that. It goes from physical to mental to a highest level, which is spiritual. Not many people get there. I wish someday I could be there.”

Children of varied races and ethnicities attend, but the majority of the students are Hispanic. Most students come from the Morristown area, but others hail from Dover, Parsippany and Paterson.

“Some of them are ‘at risk,’” Jason says. “My philosophy is, it takes 20 kids to save one person. It takes a community to save one person. … Respect’s number one in our class: Respecting little things, big things, stronger, weaker, everybody and everything, and mainly respecting and valuing life.”

“Some of the kids here … if they didn’t have tae kwon do in their lives, they would be in trouble,” he says.

The youngsters bring in their report cards and tests, earning special patches for academic achievement, says the club’s director, Robin Robertson, known to the kids as “Ma’am.” Teens earning A’s and B’s merit special uniforms as members of the “Red and Black Club.”

“It makes me feel that I put a lot of effort in the jobs I’m doing to get those patches,” says one green-belted girl.

Those earning black belts do more then learn the right moves. They perform community service, write a personal essay, do a research project, get recommendations, clean the school and pay for the belts themselves, Robin says.

As they advance, students also take responsibility in the classroom. “Part of the training is to help other kids,” she says. “We believe you learn by teaching.”

“My son’s gotten up and taught a class,” says Megan Buell of Morristown, whose 7-year-old, Jack, has studied tae kwon do for almost three years. “We love it, ’cause it’s just so much more besides tae kwon do.”

“It’s a family,” she says.”Everybody helps out. They support each other.”

Jason treats the students as individuals, she adds. “He doesn’t just treat them like kids. … I’ve seen children learn faster than anywhere else. It’s not threatening or intimidating.”

Black belt Jean Carlo Pineda, 16, the DJ for Saturday’s competition, started studying tae kwon do 11 years ago. “I fell in love with it the minute I started,” he recalls.

The lessons have paid off outside the club, he says. “You learn respect to others and yourself. You learn how to avoid problems in the streets, whether they’re physical problems like fights or verbal problems. I feel like, if it wasn’t for tae kwon do, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I probably wouldn’t have avoided as many problems as I’ve avoided and probably would be in the streets right now.”

The Morristown High School junior says he hopes to study criminal justice at college and become a police officer. Jason, he says, has “influenced me without even trying. He’s always been a father role model to me.”

Tae kwon do is “a lot of fun,” reflects a younger girl. “It’s not like, say, soccer — you do a couple of games, and they give you four trophies. [Here], you have to earn it to get it. You do more, you get more.”

One of the club’s special success stories is 12-year-old Ryan May, an autistic student who has studied tae kwon do for six years.

“It’s just had a dramatic impact on his listening skills, his sense of balance and his sense of acceptance with all these typically developing kids — and their parents,” says his father, Dave. “When he got his purple belt, half the parents were crying, too. The other kids take care of him.”

“What Jason has done, and Ma’am as well, they’ve fostered a sense of community,” says Lance Davis, whose 7-year-old son Lance has studied for four years.

“I don’t do this for the money,” Jason says. “I love the kids. … God put tae kwon do in my life for a reason.”

Video: Giralda 2010 Music and Arts Festival sights and sounds

Here is a musical slide show from yesterday’s Giralda 2010 Music and Arts Festival. Pour your favorite beverage, find an air conditioned room, put your feet up, and enjoy!

MG Kids send earth-friendly messages

Today, MG Kids is featuring pictures and earth-friendly messages that some of Homeless Solutions‘ youngest clients created in honor of this year’s Earth Day. Watch for more earth-related drawings and sculptures all this week.

MG Kids welcomes children’s original artwork, stories and news articles. Click here to find out how to contribute.

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