Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Okayplayer	[2]
DJBooth	[3]
Metromix (Jackson)	[4]
New York Times	(favorable)[5]
NOW	[6]
RapReviews	(8.0/10)[7]
The Times	[8]
USA Today	[9]

Exit 13 is the 12th and final album on LL Cool J's record deal with Def Jam Recordings, a deal that had lasted for more than twenty years. It was released on September 9, 2008.

Production[link]

This album is the first LL Cool J album since G.O.A.T. to have the parental advisory label for explicit lyrics.^{[citation needed]} LL said in an interview with Chicago radio personality DJ Z that the vulgarities are not heavy and the edited version has alternate lyrics rather than simply omitting the vulgarities.^[10] LL and DJ Kayslay teamed up to release his first mixtape as a prelude to Exit 13 titled The Return of the G.O.A.T..

Other contributors for this album include 50 Cent, Sheek Louch, Fat Joe, Ryan Leslie, Wyclef Jean, The-Dream, Lil Mo, KRS-One, Funkmaster Flex, Richie Sambora and Darlisa Blackshere.

Singles[link]

The unofficial street single, "Rockin' with the G.O.A.T.," premiered on June 20, 2008.

The first official single, "Baby" featuring The-Dream was released on July 1, 2008 to the iTunes Music Store. On August 19, 2008, iTunes released the rock remix featuring Richie Sambora, lead guitarist of iconic rock band Bon Jovi, with a rock rhythm and a sped-up tempo.

The second official single, "Feel My Heart Beat" featuring 50 Cent was released on August 26, 2008. The song did not enter the Billboard Hot 100. The official single version of the song was leaked to the Internet on November 27, 2008.

Track listing[link]

Chart positions[link]

References[link]

John Robbins (born October 26, 1947) is an American author, who popularized the links among nutrition, environmentalism, and animal rights.^[1] He is the author of the 1987 Pulitzer Prize-nominated^[2] Diet for a New America, an exposé on connections between diet, physical health, animal cruelty, and environmentalism.

Robbins is the son of Irma Robbins and Baskin-Robbins co-founder Irv Robbins. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1969, and received a Master's Degree from Antioch College, in 1976. Rather than following the ice-cream parlor legacy of his father, he left the company to seek a life he found more rewarding. He and his wife Deo were married on March 10, 1967.^[3] Robbins advocates a plant-based diet for personal and environmental health. He updated these ideas in his 2001 book The Food Revolution, which includes information on organic food, genetically modified food, and factory farming. His 2006 book Healthy at 100, published by Random House, was printed on 100% post-consumer non-chlorine bleached paper, a first for a book from a major U.S. publisher.

Robbins has received the Rachel Carson Award, the Albert Schweitzer Humanitarian Award, and the Peace Abbey’s Courage of Conscience Award.^{[citation needed]}

In Diet for a New America, he advocates a "plant-based", vegan diet and contains Robbins's opinions on the meat and dairy industries, world hunger and human health.

The documentary film Super Size Me by Morgan Spurlock has a short interview with Robbins.^[4]

EarthSave[link]

In 1988, Robbins founded EarthSave, an international, non-profit organization. The organization was born out of the reader response to his Diet for a New America.^[5] The organization works to promote healthy, environmentally sound food choices, produce independence from the medical system and raise awareness of "the ecological destruction and cruelty linked to the production of food animals."

EarthSave's head office is in New York, USA, with local chapters throughout the United States and Canada. "Taste of Health" is their annual vegetarian food festival.

Books by Robbins[link]

• Diet for a New America: How Your Food Choices Affect Your Health, Happiness and the Future of Life on Earth, 1987.
• May All Be Fed: Diet For a New World, 1992.
• Reclaiming Our Health: Exploding the Medical Myth and Embracing the Source of True Healing, 1996.
• The Awakened Heart: Meditations on Finding Harmony in a Changing World, 1997.
• The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World, 2001.
• Healthy at 100: The Scientifically Proven Secrets of the World’s Healthiest and Longest-Lived Peoples, 2006.
• The New Good Life: Living Better Than Ever in an Age of Less, 2010, Ballantine Books, 304 pages (ISBN 978-0345519849).

See also[link]

• Michael Klaper
• Vegan nutrition
• Veganism
• Vegetarianism
• Environmental vegetarianism

References[link]

External links[link]

• About John Robbins profile from his Healthy at 100 website
• Interview with John, Deo, and Ocean Robbins, interviewed by Morissa Lou Williams
• Living Better in An Age of Less, interviewed by Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2011)

Scorpion is a recurring player and boss character from the Mortal Kombat series. Scorpion is an undead ninja spectre looking for revenge for his own death, his family and clan. He is one of most well-known Mortal Kombat characters and has been playable in all the games, with the exception of the original version of Mortal Kombat 3. Because of being very prominent and highly praised, he was added to the logo of NetherRealm Studios, the successor of Midway Games.

Character design[link]

This section requires expansion.

Scorpion appeared in the first three MK games simply as a yellow palette swap of Sub-Zero with a different fighting stance (the original costume used for filming in the first two games was red). According to the back-story of the first game, his yellow outfit is said to have mocked the Lin Kuei, after former Lin Kuei member Takeda developed ninjutsu, then left the clan and founded the rival Shirai Ryu. In the games after MK4, (more in particular the 6th gen based games) his outfit was enhanced with two swords on his back and his kunai attached to a rope tied to his belt. While he and all the male ninjas were absent from MK3 due to Daniel Pesina's being fired by Midway, he was later added to UMK3 after John Turk did the motion capture for the male ninjas.^{[citation needed]} In the 2011 Mortal Kombat game, Scorpion's original outfit was featured as downloadable content.^[1] In the cutscenes, Scorpion has regular eyes in the first MK game (as his identity as a resurrected spectre was meant to be a mystery), and yellow/white eyes for MKII and subsequent games. In-game, the MK titles that used digitized sprites depicted Scorpion with regular eyes, while games that use 3D animation show him with yellow/white eyes.

Scorpion's spear taunts were voiced by Ed Boon in the games and both films. However, only two of the taunts were included in the home versions of MK and MKII due to memory constraints; the now-famous cries of "Get over here!" played randomly whenever the spear was used. One of the phrases, "Get over here!", according to an interview with Ed Boon, originated because he thought "it would be funny to have him yell out 'Get over here!' when he did it. So they just said 'Well, why do not you get behind the microphone and do it.'"^[2] The phrase "Toasty!," according to MK co-creator John Tobias, first originated as "You're Toast!" which was a taunt bandied among the programmers during MKII game-testing sessions.^[3]

In video games[link]

"Scorpion" is the code name of the ninja named Hanzo Hasashi, formerly one of the finest warriors of the Japanese ninja clan Shirai Ryu.^[4] After he was originally killed by Sub-Zero of the rival Chinese clan Lin Kuei, Scorpion became a hellspawned revenant residing in the Netherrealm underworld and seeking vengeance against those responsible for the destruction of his clan and the death of his family. Although essentially neutral in allegiance, Scorpion will ally with anyone who can assist his plans of revenge. He was once manipulated by Quan Chi, whom he promised his life in exchange for his impressive combat abilities in order to defeat Sub-Zero. Since Scorpion is a spectre, sorcery and supernatural anomalies have proven effective against him in battle, although none of them had served to destroy him.

Scorpion is introduced in the first Mortal Kombat game as a dead warrior who enters into the Mortal Kombat tournament seeking vengeance against Sub-Zero, the man who killed him. Scorpion manages to kill his target, but later learns that Sub-Zero plans to compete in the second tournament. Enraged at the idea that his nemesis has somehow returned, Scorpion tracks him down during the tournament. He realizes that this Sub-Zero was actually his killer's younger brother, who was sent to complete his brother's failed mission of assassinating the tournament's host Shang Tsung. As a result, Scorpion vows to serve as the new Sub-Zero's guardian in atonement for killing his older brother. He also appears as a boss character in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks (set during the events of Mortal Kombat II), as he tries to kill the protagonists Liu Kang and Kung Lao. He appears in both masked and unmasked forms (the latter being named "Inferno Scorpion"). Scorpion returns to the series in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 when Shao Kahn tries to conquer the Netherealm after his invasion of Earth and enlisted the ninja in his forces. Scorpion's allegiance to Kahn quickly dissolved when he discovered that Sub-Zero was one of Earth's chosen warriors, with whom he then sided in their final showdown with Kahn.

In Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero, Scorpion is only a boss character, appearing twice through the game. Scorpion is enlisted by Quan Chi to find a map hidden in a Shaolin temple, a task also given to Sub-Zero. After Scorpion is killed by Sub-Zero, he again attempts to kill Sub-Zero in the Netherrealm. In Mortal Kombat 4 he is tricked by Quan Chi to believe that the younger Sub-Zero was actually involved in the deaths of his family and clan and joins Quan Chi. Scorpion emerges victorious against the new Sub-Zero, but when Quan Chi reveals afterward the truth, Scorpion grabs the sorcerer to send him to the Netherealm. In Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Scorpion is attacked by the Oni Drahmin and Moloch, who free the sorcerer from the Netherealm. Scorpion continues hunting Quan Chi and eventually meets the Elder Gods, who give him a new mission to seek and destroy Onaga before he would unmake the realms during the events of Mortal Kombat: Deception. In the Konquest mode of Armageddon, Scorpion makes a deal with the Elder Gods to serve them in exchange for the resurrection of the Shirai Ryu clan, along with the resurrection of his wife and son. However, the Elder Gods resurrect them as undead beings. Enraged, Scorpion seeks to destroy the Elder Gods' chance of preventing Armageddon by taking Blaze's power that was meant for Taven or Daegon, but Taven defeats him and Scorpion is later killed by Sub-Zero in battle.

In Shaolin Monks, however, he is not only a boss but also a playable character for both versus and story modes (Scorpion's movesets in this game are largely identical to Liu Kang's with some original techniques).^[5] Mortal Kombat: Fire & Ice, which would star Scorpion and Sub-Zero in co-operative gameplay, was cancelled when Paradox Development (Midway Studios – Los Angeles), creators of Shaolin Monks, "couldn’t do it in time and under budget."^[6]

In the 2011 Mortal Kombat title, Scorpion reprises his role from the first tournaments. He serves Quan Chi, unaware that the sorcerer is the mastermind behind the Lin Kuei's murderer of his family and clan. Scorpion gets his rematch with Sub-Zero whom he defeats in the Outerworld, and although Raiden had earlier (before the fight) offered to help revive Scorpion's family/clan if he spared his nemesis, Quan Chi appears at the critical moment and persuades Scorpion to satisfy his revenge. Scorpion (as what happened in his original MK ending) loses his only chance to restore his family, and also the damnation of Sub-Zero's soul after his death by Scorpion turns him into the evil wraith Noob Saibot. Later in the game, the younger Sub-Zero seeks revenge for his brother's death by facing Scorpion, and Quan Chi grants the request. Scorpion immediately recognizes that this is not the original Sub-Zero that he killed; the younger Sub-Zero defeats Scorpion but before he can be finished off, Sub-Zero is aprehended by his clan.

Scorpion also appears in the crossover game Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, participating in the war between the two titular series. In addition to the MK series, Scorpion has made appearances in four other Midway games: NBA Jam Tournament Edition, MLB Slugfest: Loaded, Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy and The Grid.^{[citation needed]}

In other media[link]

Scorpion was portrayed in Malibu Comics' MK comic series as an evil entity, a spectre consumed by revenge against Sub-Zero who had decided to kill those close to him as well before killing him personally. In the conclusion of the Blood & Thunder miniseries, he has a short fight with Kitana (who stopped him from murdering an unconscious Sub-Zero) that ultimately leads to his demise. During the Battlewave miniseries, Shao Kahn returns Scorpion to the living world using a mystical gem called the "Deathstone," which also allows him to resurrect an army of undead soldiers under his control. Scorpion becomes Shao Kahn's general, while his army replaces the mutants that engrossed his ranks.

In the novelization by Jeff Rovin, Scorpion is a combination of sorts of a father and a son; Sub-Zero killed the father, a former Lin Kuei member named Yong Park, in front of his family. Yong's spirit merged with his son Tsui's body, in order to seek revenge under the form of Scorpion.^[7]

Scorpion was played by Chris Casamassa in the first Mortal Kombat film. His spear was changed to a living metal snake-like entity that shot from a slit in his palm and could fly to a limited extent. Scorpion's rivalry with Sub-Zero is only mentioned in passing by Shang Tsung in the storyline, which instead had them both serving as his guardians, and he is defeated by Johnny Cage in the Netherrealm. Scorpion returned in the sequel film Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, played by J.J. Perry. In it, following a failed assassination attempt by Smoke and his extermination squad due to the unexpected interference of the younger Sub-Zero, Scorpion confronts the would-be victims, Liu Kang and Kitana, but is challenged by Sub-Zero to a duel. After incapacitating Sub-Zero, he successfully captures Kitana and escapes with his captive.

In the animated film The Journey Begins|Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins, Scorpion was again depicted as a henchmen to Shang Tsung opposite Sub-Zero. On the sorcerer's orders, the duo fight Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade and are almost successful in killing them until Raiden intervenes and put the fight to a halt. The backstory relationship of Scorpion and Sub-Zero is explored during the course of the film.

Scorpion appears in the animated series Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm in the episode "Sting of the Scorpion", in which he sends an undead army against the Earthrealm defenders and overwhelms Sub-Zero, but is finally defeated by Liu Kang.

He also appeared in several episodes of the TV series Mortal Kombat: Konquest with an origin different to that of the games, and was again played by Chris Casamassa. His feud with Sub-Zero was also presented in the show, with Scorpion commanding his lover, Peron, to murder Sub-Zero's sister, and Sub-Zero slaying Peron in vengeful retaliation, culminating in a duel which ends in a draw due to the arrival of Kung Lao and his allies, Siro and Taja, who come to aid Sub-Zero.

In the live-action short film Mortal Kombat: Rebirth, Scorpion is depicted as a voluntary prisoner. During a meeting with Jackson Briggs regarding an underground tournament hosted by Shang Tsung, Sonya Blade shows up with a confidential document about Sub-Zero. She reveals that the person he killed was Sub-Zero's brother. Knowing that Sub-Zero will enter Shang Tsung's deadly tournament, he agrees to participate in the tournament and leave no one alive. Unlike his game incarnation, at the beginning of Rebirth, Scorpion appears to be a normal human, though his eyes are completely white and his signature spear weapon also appears. Actor Michael Jai White and actress Jeri Ryan play the roles of Jackson Briggs and Sonya Blade respectively, while Scorpion himself, referred to by his real name Hanzo Hasashi, was played by actor Ian Anthony Dale.^[8]

Dale reprises his role as Scorpion in the Mortal Kombat: Legacy webseries. In his episode, his story takes place during the years of the shogunate, where he is the leader of the Shirai Ryu clan. He is summoned to a meeting with the shogun, which is revealed to be a trap by Bi Han, who is the elder Sub-Zero, in order to lure Hasashi away from his village. After subduing Sub-Zero, he returns to his village where he finds his family dead. He is then stabbed and frozen by Sub-Zero. Shang Tsung appears with Sub-Zero, who then reveals himself to be Quan Chi who took the form of Sub-Zero to manipulate Hasashi. Quan Chi offers him revenge against Sub-Zero in exchange for his service. Hasashi is resurrected as a spectre and takes the name Scorpion.

Reception[link]

Scorpion is often regarded to be one of the most popular and iconic characters in the Mortal Kombat franchise. In 2008, UGO.com included Scorpion among the top 11 Mortal Kombat characters, noting his signature Fatality as one of their favorites in the series.^[9] In Game Informer's 2009 list of best characters in all fighting games Scorpion was third in response of his techniques.^[10] In 2011, ScrewAttack placed Scorpion at first place on their list of top Mortal Kombat "kharacters" and complimented his iconic "Get over here!" call.^[11] In UGO Networks' 2012 list of top Mortal Kombat characters, Scorpion was ranked as second only to the series' protagonist Liu Kang.^[12]

In 2006, he tied with Sub-Zero at the top of Game Revolution's list of top ten "old school" Mortal Kombat characters, with both noted as the most popular characters from the franchise.^[13] Scorpion and Sub-Zero also shared the fifth place on the top video game ninjas list by PC World in 2009.^[14] A 2011 GamesRadar article discussed their evolution across the Mortal Kombat series, citing them as its two most popular characters.^[15] In 2008, IGN mentioned that although Scorpion was initially a palette-swapped character, he "is actually a lot more complicated than these initial appearances let on."^[16] In 2009, GamePro ranked Scorpion and other ninjas from the series third in their list of the best palette-swapped video game characters, adding that Midway Games "has turned the art of making new characters from other, different-colored characters into a science."^[17]

In 2010, IGN listed Scorpion's fire-breathing Fatality as second-best from the series due to how the player's perception of the character changes when he removes his mask.^[18] That same year, GamesRadar included him on the list of the gaming's "most badass" scorpions, calling him "one of Mortal Kombat's most beloved characters."^[19] In 2011, IGN noted that the Fatality was not notably changed in following games as a result of how it connects with Scorpion calling it an "enduring classic."^[20] In 2012, "Scorpions [sic] Spear" was ranked by IGN as the 76th top video game weapon.^[21] Previously, the same attack had been ranked ninth on GameSpot's list of top ten fighting game special moves of all time for being the single most powerful yet balanced attack in the original game as well as for its initial shock effect value, called "the definitive Mortal Kombat move."^[22] Scorpion's phrase "Get Over Here!" was also listed in Play's joke list of ten best chat-up lines.^[23]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Scorpion - The Mortal Kombat Wiki
• IGN: Scorpion (Mortal Kombat)
• Scorpion at the Internet Movie Database

Bliss Blood is a musician and songwriter from Houston, Texas. She moved to New York City, New York in 1996. She has written and recorded one album with Evanescent in 2011 (a duo with guitarist Al Street), five albums with New York jazz band The Moonlighters from 2000-2009, and six albums from 1988-1995 with Houston noise rock band Pain Teens. She has also appeared on recordings with groups including The Melvins, Exit-13 and Angels of Light.

Current projects[link]

Bliss Blood writes songs and plays ukulele in the 1920s & '30s jazz-themed New York City group The Moonlighters, formed in 1998. The Moonlighters write original songs, and released 4 cds on their own label, Onliest Records, toured Germany four times, in 2002, 2006, 2007 and 2009, and released their fifth cd on Worldsound Records in 2009. Current lineup of the band includes actress/singer/screenwriter Cindy Ball on vocals and guitar, Raphael McGregor on steel guitar, and Rus Wimbish on acoustic bass.

She currently leads several other New York bands, Evanescent, with guitarist Al Street, formerly of the Sugarman Three, and Delta Dreambox (Mississippi Delta and Classic Women's blues from the 1920s to '40s) collaborating with Al Street on guitar and formerly Marty Bartolomeo on piano, and writing original blues songs. Former projects include Nightcall, a "crime jazz" band also featuring Stu Spasm from Australian grunge rock band Lubricated Goat, Voodoo Suite (lounge/exotica) with vibraphonist Tom Beckham, Cantonement Jazz Band (1920s jazz band, a piano, violin and horn section), Here's How (1950s cool jazz),

Evanescent has two original songs in the independent New York City film "Hello Lonesome", directed by Adam Reid, released May 27, 2011.

External links[link]

• Bliss Blood's official webpage and webpage for the Moonlighters
• Cindy Ball's official webpage Moonlighters guitarist/vocalist