Stories to Inspire: Laughter Really Is the Best Medicine

There is a commercial on TV now about children going through cancer treatments, and is shows the tiny victims playing in their bedrooms. In the background is the melodic Beach Boys Song "In my Room". It is very hard to watch.

Indeed, alone in one's room is where the fear of cancer or what is going with their bodies and their lives rears its ugly head. But to remedy this, in steps the beautiful face of a caring parent.

Ava Rasmussen is a little girl from northern NJ who is going through treatment for leukemia. In order to help her cope and answer her questions,

INTERVIEW: Behind the Scenes at a Reality Show - The Big Bang Theory Gets a Reality Check on Discovery Channel's The Big Brain Theory: Pure Genius

A Behind-The-Scenes shot of the cast of the Big Brain Theory-Pure Genius

Did you ever wonder what it was like to get on or be on a reality show? Suzee goes Behind the Scenes with Eric Whitman of Discovery Channel's "The Big Brain Theory: Pure Genius" who gives us a vivid picture of what it was like to "live" on a reality show!

Many thanks go out to Eric for this interview and his time. Eric is as near to a real Big Bang Theory cast member as you may find though he may not appreciate the analogy. Eric is a is graduate of Princeton University who studied Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He is currently in the Ph.D. program at Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute specializing in bipedal walking.

If you didn't catch "The Big Brain Theory" while it was on, find it! The premise of the show was that a cast of very, very, intelligent individuals trained in engineering, science, physics and all those subjects that were the hardest in high school (for most people anyway) were challlenged to build structures and devices that would meet certain seemingly unattainable goals that made you wonder, "How the heck are they gonna do that?" There was a lot of blowing up things, robots, races and welding goin' on! I have to say, every project looked complicated, but read on, and you'll see if Eric thought so too.

SBTS: How did you get on the show? How did they find you? Did they seek you out personally (as some people for reality shows now are) or did you answer an ad?

I saw a link to the casting call on an internet forum associated with FIRST robotics, a high school robotics competition that I'm involved in as a mentor for a local team.

SBTS: What was the interview process like?

The casting call asked for some basic information and a paragraph about why I would be good.  I also made a video because it seemed like a good idea.  First they called me asking for a video.  I

Fashion and Charity Highlight Jersey City's Fashion Week

The catwalk at Liberty Science Center

   

The second annual Jersey City Fashion Week took place in various places in Jersey City, NJ in late September. Boasting local designers, merchants, fashion schools and sponsored by an array of prestigious and local businesses, it was a week to celebrate this up-and-coming, historic and yet struggling city. Credit is owed to the organizers, Desha Jackson, Program Manager for the DLJ Give to Life Community

Book Review: Does Days of Our Lives Make Living Better?

James Scott and Kristian Alfonso

Television pundits may say soaps are not as popular as they once were, but you couldn’t tell that by the 250+ people lined up at Books and Greetings in Northvale, NJ to see several cast members sign their new book, entitled “Better Living”.

Being a soap fan for 35 years who has attended many soap events, the buzz on the line was still the same as it was three decades ago: fans asking each other about storylines, trying to figure out where the stories were going and adding in their ideas for future stories (basically, it’s who belongs with whom!). Even with spoilers, the prevalence of websites devoted to soaps and message rooms, the fans were still out and vocal. It was so pleasant to hear people actually talk in this electronic communication-obsessed world.