Governor Christie Speaks At CPAC 2014

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington D.C. today. You can see his speech in its entirety here:

Obama Administration Continues To Backpedal On Health Care

If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan... for two more years.

The Obama administration continues to backpedal on the Affordable Care Act, extending the period that consumers can purchase their health care plans that don't meet the standards of Obamacare.

From the New York Times:

"The reprieve was the latest in a series of waivers, deadline extensions and unilateral actions by the administration that have drawn criticism from the law’s opponents and supporters, many saying President Obama was testing the limits of his powers.

"The action reflects the difficulties Mr. Obama has faced in trying to build support for the Affordable Care Act and the uproar over his promise — which he later acknowledged had been overstated — that people who liked their insurance plans could keep them, no matter what.

"Under pressure from Democratic candidates, who are struggling to defend the president’s signature domestic policy, Mr. Obama in November announced a one-year reprieve for insurance plans that did not meet the minimum coverage requirements of the 2010 health care law.

"Wednesday’s action goes much further, essentially stalling for two more years one of the central tenets of the much-debated law, which was supposed to eliminate what White House officials called substandard insurance and junk policies. 

"The extension could help Democrats in tight midterm election races because it may avoid the cancellation of policies that would otherwise have occurred at the height of the political campaign season this fall."

While the administration is trying to smooth things over, saying this move allows for a better transition to the Affordable Care Act, the real truth is once again bubbling to the surface.

Obamacare wasn't ready to be thrust upon the American people. Obamacare may never be ready. The problems the web site, the difficulty with enrollment, and now extension after extension is trying to salvage the Obama administration's clout and any Democratic credibility for the upcoming elections and the next presidential bid.

My hope is that the American people will see through this move by a desperate administration and show their displeasure with this so-called Affordable Care Act in the voting booths. 

Christie Video: I'm Trying To Save The Pensions!

Good Mornin, Everybody!

A special G'day to everybody!

Yeah, We Saw Kangaroos In The Wild, Mate!

You got it -- right there in the center of the photo, mate!

Sunset, Kangaroos, Barbee On The Outback!

We're in Australia's rough 'n ready Outback country near beautiful Alice Springs. Enjoy!
BTW: Do you see the two kangaroos peering from the top of the rock in the photo above? Look closely!
All photos copyright 2014 by Dan Cirucci.

Another One Of Melbourne's Spectacular Attractions

The Crown Hotel and entertainment center in Melbourne is attached to the largest casino in the Southern Hemisphere.

'Lady Day' Tkts With McDonald On Sale

The Broadway premier production of Lanie Robertson’s Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill, starring five-time Tony Award-winner Audra McDonald under the direction of Lonny Price (110 in the Shade, A Class Act), goes on sale to the general public starting March 6^th, 2014. Tickets are available at Telecharge.com or by calling (212) 239-6200.

 

Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill will begin previews March 25, 2014. The production will play a strictly limited 10-week engagement with only 70 performances at the Circle in the Square Theatre (1633 Broadway). Opening night is set for April 13, 2014. 

 

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Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill recounts Holiday's life story through the songs that made her famous. 1959, in a small, intimate bar in Philadelphia, Holiday puts on a show that unbeknownst to the audience, will leave them witnesses to one of the last performances of her life.  Through her poignant voice and moving songs, one of the greatest jazz singers of all-time shares her loves and her losses.   

 

Among the songs that will be performed: “God Bless the Child,” “What a Little Moonlight Can Do,” “Strange Fruit” and “Taint Nobody’s Biz-ness.”

 

Frequent collaborators Lonny Price and Audra McDonald have been developing and working on Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill for more than two years. The intimate setting of the Circle in the Square provides a unique theatrical experience, drawing audiences – especially those seated at the tables onstage – into the performance.

 

On Broadway, Price directed McDonald in 110 in the Shade for the Roundabout Theatre Company. He also directed her in both Sweeney Todd with the New York Philharmonic in 2000 and Passion as part of Lincoln Center’s American Songbook series, the latter of which was telecast on PBS’sLive From Lincoln Center.

 

Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill will be produced by Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, and Jessica Genick who will be joined by Ronald Frankel, Rebecca Gold, Roger Berlind, Ken Greiner, and Will Trice.

Christie Orders Flags Lowered For Fallen Firefighter

Governor Chris Christie today issued a proclamation directing that flags at the State House building be flown at half-staff from Thursday, March 6, 2014 to Wednesday, March 12, 2014 in recognition of the life and in mourning of the passing of Captain Gregory Barnas, who was born in Passaic and raised in Wallington, where he was a lifelong resident. 

Captain Barnas was a firefighter in Jersey City for twenty-nine years and an active volunteer firefighter in Wallington for forty-two years and tragically lost his life while combating a fire at a restaurant in Wallington.  

Don Marino Remembered: Outstanding Lawyer And Leader

We were saddened to hear of the passing of a dear friend and outstanding Philadelphia lawyer, Donald C. Marino.

We share the sentiments of Philadelphia Bar Association Chancellor Willion Fedullo:

"This is a difficult loss for Philadelphia's legal community as well as for me personally," Fedullo said speaking for the 13,000-member Association.

"Donald C. Marino was a very bright, kind and encouraging man – a real class-act. He was generous with his time and mentored many lawyers, myself included, and encouraged them to reach their full potential. He is one of the main reasons why I first got involved with the Philadelphia Bar Association. Don will be greatly missed," Chancellor Fedullo added.

Marino was Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association in 1984. When he was Chancellor, Marino formed the Philadelphia Bar Association's Committee for the Homeless, which became very effective in urging the city to improve the conditions of shelters as well as to help the homeless with their legal problems. Prior to that, he also served as a Chancellor of the Justinian Society. In 1999, Marino received the Cesare Beccaria Award, which is co-sponsored by the Justinian Society and the Criminal Justice Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association.

Throughout his career, Marino held many prominent positions in Philadelphia. 

In recent years, he served as counsel to the City Solicitor's Office and chaired its litigation department. Marino also served as counsel at Dilworth Paxson LLP in the firm's litigation department. Additionally, he served as a criminal defense attorney for several high-profile cases in the city.

Don Marino was genuine Philadelphia product and he loved the city, the legal community and all that Philadelphia had to offer. Though he travelled all over the country on behalf of the bar association, his heart was always in Philadelphia.

He was also a forward-looking leader who was one of the first Philadelphians to endorse the building of Liberty Place and the abandonment of the age-old gentlemen's agreement that prevent buildings from rising higher that the top of Billy Penn's hat on City Hall. Marino worked hard to demystify the law so that it could be understood by ordinary Philadelphians and he used television regularly and effectively to convey the bar's message and enhance its role in the community.

We extend our condolences to Don's many friends and colleagues in the city as our heart goes out to his wife Vinnie, son Justin and the entire Marino family.

Don's was a life well-lived and he will be greatly missed by all who knew him as well as all those who benefitted from his leadership.

More Photos From Marvelous Melbourne!

More images of Marvelous Melbourne -- and the weather -- as you can see -- has been just fantastic!
All photos of Australia and New Zealand copyright 2014 by Dan Cirucci.

Hava Look At Magnificent Melbourne, Mate!

We're having a wonderful time here in magnificent Melbourne -- a place that is enough to restore your faith in cities. It's clean, striking, highly liveable and rich in wonderful attractions!
Enjoy these latest photos!

Harlem Globetrotters Headed To Liacouras Center

The World Famous Harlem Globetrotters display jaw-dropping tricks and ball handling skills during five games in the Greater Philadelphia Region with stops at the Liacouras Center on Friday, March 7 at 7p.m.; the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton, NJ; on Saturday, March 8 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; and the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday, March 9 at 12 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Tickets are available now exclusively through ComcastTIX, online at ComcastTIX.com, by phone at 1-800-298-4200, or in person at the Wells Fargo Center box office.

The Harlem Globetrotters, who have not lost a game to a traveling opponent since 1971, look to continue their win streak against the Generals with an incredible roster of players including seven year veteran, Handles Franklin was raised locally in Harrisburg, PA. Handles spends much of his free time in Philadelphia cheering on his favorite sport teams including the Philadelphia Eagles, 76ers, Phillies and Flyers.

Former Temple University women’s basketball team member TNT Maddox returns to Philadelphia as the ninth female player in the history to play for the Harlem Globetrotters. TNT played for Hall of Famer Dawn Staley and made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament in the ‘06-‘07 season as a member of the Temple Owls.

Flight Time Lang is a 15-year veteran of the Harlem Globetrotters. He earned his nickname from his ability to dunk a basketball when he was only 5’10” in high school. Flight Time is currently competing on the Emmy Award-winning series, “The Amazing Race.” Flight Time and Big Easy are in 5th place after the 2nd episode of the new season, which airs every Sunday night on CBS.


Too Tall, listed at only 5’2”, is the shortest player in Harlem Globetrotters history. After playing college basketball for the Community College of Baltimore County, Too Tall played for the Harlem Globetrotters opponent, Washington Generals before making the Harlem Globetrotter roster.

Hawk Thomas, a 6’5” rookie for the Harlem Globetrotters recently made a name for himself by making one of the craziest shots at Madison Square Garden when he shot a basketball from the top of the Garden to nail a basket on the famous hardwood.

Rounding out the roster is powerful dunker Jet Williams who's known for shattering two backboards in this three seasons with the Harlem Globetrotters.

The North American leg of the tour will see the Globetrotters play 300 games in over 250 cities in 48 U.S. states, six Canadian provinces and Puerto Rico through April 2014.

Comcast-Spectacor (comcast-spectacor.com) is the Philadelphia-based sports and entertainment company which owns the Philadelphia Flyers (NHL), the home arena for both the Flyers and the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, the Wells Fargo Center, and four Flyers Skate Zone community ice skating and hockey rinks. In addition, Comcast-Spectacor is also the principal owner of Global Spectrum, the fastest growing firm in the public assembly management field with more than 120 facilities throughout the United States and Canada; Ovations Food Services, a food and beverage service provider; New Era Tickets, a ticketing and marketing company for public assembly facilities; Front Row Marketing Services, a commercial rights sales company; FanOne, a digital fan marketing company; and Paciolan, the leading provider of venue enablement, ticketing, fundraising and marketing technology solutions.

Our Journey To New Zealand's Spectacular Fjords

Our journey last week to New Zealand's spectacular fjords included some of the most beautiful, lush. awesome scenery we have ever witnessed with deep green mountains, caverns, gorges and waterways.
We thought we'd share some photos with you.
Keep visiting -- there's more to come!

Astounding Milford Sound In New Zealand!

We took a journey to the magnificent fjords of Milford Sound in New Zealand.
Here's what we found.
Enjoy the photos!

First Photos From Beautiful New Zealand!

These are our first photos from beautiful New Zealand and these show the lovely lakeside town of Queenstown.
We hope you enjoy them.
We're certainly enjoying our visit!

Hey, The Dan Cirucci Blog Is Traveling!

The Dan Cirucci Blog is traveling - Big Time!
We've taken a huge journey and we're taking you along with us.
That's the good news, folks.
But our "bon voyage" means that for the first time in more than six years there may not be new posts on the Dan Cirucci Blog every single day. We will try to be here every day (because we know that's what you're accustomed to and you need your daily blog fix) but we simply cannot guarantee it.
You see, we're halfway around the world -- in Australia and New Zealand.But we will guarantee you this: This is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure -- a journey to one of the most stunning, awe-inspiring, breathtaking places imaginable.
And we'll be sharing as much of it as we can with you just as soon as we can.
In fact, right now we're working on getting our first photos from Down Under up on the blog. In the meantime, we'll be placing those photos on our Facebook page.Oh, this too -- Some of our blogger friends may be filling in and posting here over the next several weeks from time to time. We know you're gonna be enjoying them and welcoming them just as you would us.
So, be patient, stay with us, hang on tight and get ready. We're in for a great, new adventure!

Greetings From Christchurch, New Zealand

Continuing our travels through the South Pacific we are now in Christchurch, New Zealand.
We are here on the South Island of New Zealand right near where a devastating earthquake hit. And years later, the city is still in the throes of a recovery.

On Tuesday February 22, 2011 at 12.51 p.m. Christchurch was badly damaged by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake, which killed 185 people and injured several thousand.

The earthquake’s epicentre was near Lyttelton, just 10 kilometres south-east of Christchurch’s central business district. The earthquake occurred nearly six months after the September 4, 2010 earthquake, but is considered to be an aftershock of the earlier quake.

The earthquake occurred at lunchtime, when many people were on the city streets. More than 110 fatalities were caused by the collapse of two multi-storey office buildings – the Canterbury Television and Pyne Gould Corporation buildings. Falling bricks and masonry on Manchester Street and Cashel Mall killed 11 people, and six died in two city buses crushed by crumbling walls. Rock cliffs behind houses collapsed in the Sumner and Redcliffs area, and boulders tumbled down the Port Hills, with five people killed by falling rocks.

Although not as powerful as the magnitude 7.1 earthquake on in 2010, this earthquake occurred on a fault line that was shallow and close to the city, so the shaking was particularly destructive. In the February 2011 quake, the fault movement and structure of the bedrock produced exceptionally strong ground motion – up to 1.8 times the acceleration due to gravity in the eastern suburbs. In the city center, ground accelerations were three to four times greater than those produced by the 2010 earthquake.

The cathedral in the middle of the city was badly damaged and has still not reopened. Our hotel is directly across the street from the cathedral. The future of the cathedral remains uncertain.

Serious Health Concerns Swirl Around Hillary

More and more we are reading and hearing information that leads us to believe Hillary Clinton may not run in 2016.
Of course, every politician always wants to keep all his/her options open.
And, if nothing else Hillary is an adept politician. So, don't expect Mrs. Clinton to show her hand anytime soon - not if she doesn't have to.
But rumors persist about her health. These all surround the blood clot that she suffered as well as concerns about a possible brain tumor or minor stroke. On top of all that, everybody agrees that she seems worn out.
Now, let's be clear about this: We don't wish anybody ill  health. Not now. Not ever.
But Mrs. Clinton doesn't look well and many believe we haven't been given the full story about her health. Plus, she's still wearing those thick glasses that she wore after that health scare when she reportedly took a spill and suffered a blood clot.
And, Mrs. Clinton is on the closer side of 70 - one of the older baby boomers in our midst. She's not a young up 'n comer anymore. She more than qualifies for senior citizen status. And political operatives and the public know how to tell time.
Yes, Ronald Reagan was the oldest president to ever take office and he did quite well for himself, thank you. And that was damned good for America.
But Reagan hadn"t lived through the scandals nor carried the baggage that Hillary has lived through and carried. And Ronald Reagn wasn't tethered to a mate like Bill Clinton.
On top of all that, we'll simply add this: If you can find someone as seemingly ageless as Ronald Reagan on the national scene today, let us know.

New Zealand & Environs: Random Observations

New Zealand is a relatively young country that did not see the beginning of major settlements and influx of settlers until the 1800s.
And even now, vast stretches of the nation remain largely unoccupied. Of course, much has been permanently established as open land or national parks.
And then there are all the farms - miles and miles of sheep, dairy and some deer farms as venison remains a popular dish.
Farms are set off by hedgerows that have been here forever. The hedges or long lines of trees were planted by early farmers both to set off property and to prevent erosion of the soil. Today, the hedges among these property boundaries are regularly and neatly trimmed. They rise 15 feet are more and are trimmed with special tractors equipped to trim them neatly across the top and along the sides.
And, here's more:
--As New Zealand approaches the centenary of World War I this year, there are many memorials and other observances planned throughout the nation. The so-called "war to end all wars" took a mighty toll on New Zealand.
--The kiwi (not the fruit but the bird) is a national symbol of New Zealand and is protected. It can only be found in New Zealand but you're not likely to see a Kiwi, for two reasons: 1) The bird is endangered and 2) It's nocturnal. It is characterized by a long, pointed beak and a brownish, fuzzy exterior.
--The North Island of New Zealand was created by volcanic eruption while the South Island was created by glacial erosion. Consequently, the topography of each island is distinct.
--The Tasman Sea separates New Zealand from its much larger island neighbor, Australia. You're well advised not to confuse the two or to even pair them. Each of the two nations is very proud of  its individual identity. When Aussies or New Zelanders travel from one nation to the other they say they are "crossing the ditch," referring to the Tasman Sea. It takes about three-and-a-half hours to fly from Queensland (NZ) to Melbourne (AUS).
--When you eat out in New Zealand your tax and tip are included. In fact, a 15% tax is simply included on everything your purchase and is not shown on your price or bill of fare. If you feel your service in a restaurant has been exceptional you may leave a tip but it's not necessary. When you have finished your meal, you must ask for your check (it will not be brought to you automatically) or simply pay at the door on your way out.
--It is not uncommon to find baked beans and grilled tomatoes on the menu for breakfast. Both of these seem to be staples here.
--In all our travels along vast stretches of farmland here we've only encountered one small area of farm markets -- a place that sold fresh and dried fruit. We purchased some peaches which were okay, but finding fresh fruit at our hotel stops has been difficult.