SPECIAL TO NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

In his Star Ledger column, “Crackpot libertarianism at the convenience counter,” Paul Mulshine tries to make the case that Senator Richard Codey’s bill to increase the age to legally buy cigarettes from 19 to 21 is not an infringement on individual liberty. He fails miserably.

Mulshine writes. “…think about the fact that cigarettes annually kill more Americans than all of those (marijuana, opium and crack cocaine) drugs combined, plus alcohol use, car accidents and suicide. So just what is the basis for outrage at a minor restriction (emphasis added) on the most deadly drug of them all?”

Applying Mulshine’s logic, then the State of New Jersey should ban cigarettes completely, saving everyone from their own destructive behavior.

“Epic,” the animated adventure from Blue Sky Studios (“Rio” and “Ice Age”), scored an impressive 83 on Fandango’s buzz meter, as it is the only new family-oriented release for the holiday weekend. Fanticipation numerical scores (on a 1-100 scale) are calculated based a proprietary analysis of Fandango’s advance ticket sales, website and mobile traffic, and social media engagement.

According to a Fandango survey of more than 1,000 “Fast and Furious 6” ticket-buyers:

A whopping 93% would commit to seeing a “Fast & Furious 7,” even before seeing the sixth installment in the franchise;

That includes Gunnison Beach, the only legal nude beach in the state.

“New Jerseyans and visitors have been enjoying the beaches of Sandy Hook for generations, and I’m thrilled that they are once again open for all to enjoy,” said Congressman Pallone. “The road to full recovery is a long one, and the reopening of Sandy Hook’s beaches is a significant step in the process and one more sign of New Jersey’s strength and resilience.”

Pallone has taken a lead in the Sandy Hook recovery process since the storm hit, and he worked directly with the National Park Service to ensure that needs were tended to with urgency.

“World class labs studying social insects are concentrated in the northeast,” said Simon Garnier, founder of the Swarm Lab and an assistant professor at NJIT in the Federated Department of Biological Sciences. “It’s easy for people to reach each other and we thought, why not aim for a day of conversation and collegiality.”

At the close of Friday’s presentations, the group will discuss scheduling future meetings. “It would be great to institute a regular series of meetings at different labs several times a year,” said Garnier.

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NOW THAT'S FUNNY

Authorities in New Jersey have charged 29 restaurants and bars in New Jersey, including 13 TGI Fridays, with fooling their customers by putting cheap liquor into premium bottles.

Wait ... you’re not supposed to do that?  I’d like to officially apologize to all the guests in my home for the last ten years.

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

The Israeli romantic drama “Fill the Void” premiered in this area at the New York Film Festival in the fall of 2011, as did Noah Baumbach’s “Frances Ha” a year later. Both films compassionately explore the maturation of young women, but in totally different spheres. Written and directed by first-time feature filmmaker Rama Burshtein, “Fill the Void” is set among a sect of Israeli Hasidim, a rigorously observant group of Jews who follow the teachings of an individual rabbi. In this world, marriages are arranged when girls are in their teens and large families of eight or ten children are commonplace. Unrelated men and women rarely meet or speak, but that doesn’t mean that young people don’t have preferences and their own ways of expressing them. The American-born Burshtein, who entered the Hasidic world after growing up secular, sees her characters as rounded human beings, and what makes her film so extraordinary is that she presents this community, so often romanticized or demonized, as complex, contradictory, and completely real. A hit in Israel and the winner of seven Ophir awards, “Fill the Void” was Israel’s submission to the Academy Awards for best foreign-language film.

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Jon Bon Jovi, born in Perth Amboy has developed his own ideas about how to treat fans over his 30-year career. And he’s sharing them with today’s pop sensation, or curiosity, 19-year old Justin Bieber.

Bon Jovi suggests five ideas that will help Bieber in the future: 1.) Don’t disrespect your fans, 2.) Don’t be late to performances, 3.) Learn from previous generations, 4.) Give the fans value for the money they spend on tickets, and 5.) Don’t be an a**hole.

The 51-year old Bon Jovi said that every generation has seen artists who alienate their fans. “They run the risk of disrespecting their audience members who have worked hard to pay for their ticket, to give you the permission to take two or three hours of their lives — or in that kid’s case, 80 minutes of their lives, he told the London Evening Standard.

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Jabrill Peppers of Paramus Catholic High School doesn’t graduate until 2014, but the five-star cornerback is a hot commodity among the nation’s colleges.

Peppers, ranked by ESPN as the No. 2 high school prospect in the U.S., plans to announce his choice of colleges on ESPNU between 4:45 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. on May 26.

Paramus coach Chris Partridge says Peppers has narrowed his options down to Michigan, Rutgers, Penn State, Stanford, LSU and Notre Dame, according to NJ.com. Michigan is believed to be the leading contender, but Rutgers is reported to be one of Peppers’ final stops.

SPECIAL TO NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Over 1,000 schools, companies, and government agencies are taking part in a nationwide movement to support returning veterans this Memorial Day and help them get the assistance they need as they come home.

From schools and teacher associations to government agencies and Fortune 100 companies, employers of all kinds are participating in the GI Go Fund “Jeans for Troops” Drive today, May 23, to help raise funds for veterans and their families. Employers from across the country will allow employees to wear jeans to work for a $5 donation to help the GI Go Fund further its mission of providing veterans with help finding employment and educational opportunities, homelessness assistance, and connections to critical benefits.

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

There are some accidents in industrial environments that are harder to anticipate than others. One of them happened in a Jersey City warehouse on Wednesday.

About 1,500 pounds of pineapples crashed down on a man working in the warehouse, but he was able to walk away from the accident.