Saturday, March 31, 2018

Dan Cirucci Blog Tops 51.000 Pageviews This Month!

WORLDWIDE Pageviews by Countries - March 2018

Graph of most popular countries among blog viewers
EntryPageviews
United Kingdom
18823
France
13506
United States
11142
Brazil
2193
Belgium
1817
Turkey
1632
Canada
1202
Kuwait
610
Russia
516
Poland
469

France, Brazil, Belgium, US Lead Blog Visits

Pageviews by Countries - Week of 3/24*

Graph of most popular countries among blog viewers
EntryPageviews
France
3386
Brazil
2131
Belgium
1817
United States
1407
Kuwait
610
United Kingdom
504
Russia
219
Poland
183
Ukraine
160
Germany
148
*We have no idea why the foreign countries like Brazil, Belgium and Kuwait are leading the lineup of blog visits this week but we suspect that there may be a mixup in the source tabs somewhere.

Dan Cirucci Blog: Week's Top Five Stories

Top Posts - Week of 3/24

Have You Missed Any Of THESE Stories?

The Daily Caller 
“There’s no better place to begin the campaign of infrastructure than right here in Ohio,” President Donald J. Trump told workers near Cleveland, Ohio, on Thursday. The President explained that his entire professional life has been about building things. “I love it. I love the smell of a construction site. Right? There’s just something about it.”
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The New York Post
On Thursday, to a crowd of “cheering union members,” President Trump made the case for why the U.S. economy is in the best shape in its history. The President cited job creation, falling unemployment claims, and recent progress on trade deals as evidence for America’s economic turnaround.
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- Reuters 
U.S. economic growth in the fourth quarter of 2017 showed the “biggest gain in consumer spending in three years,” Reuters reports. “Gross domestic product expanded at a 2.9 percent annual rate in the final three months of 2017.”
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- The Associated Press 
“The United States, Mexico and Colombia will target drug smugglers off South America's Pacific coast in an operation that is scheduled to begin Sunday,” The Associated Press reports from U.S. Coast Guard officials. While the U.S. and Mexico continue to address the issues of immigration and trade, “the two countries are joining forces on the high seas like never before to go after drug smugglers.”
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Casper Star Tribune 
This week, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt visited Wyoming on the invitation of Sens. John Barrasso (R-WY) and Mike Enzi (R-WY). Administrator Pruitt “said it was time for the agency to reverse what he described as a political attack on the fossil fuel industry,” Heather Richards reports.
-------------------------
Washington Examiner 
First Lady Melania Trump visited St. Mary’s Medical Center in Florida this week, delivering Easter baskets ahead of this Sunday’s holiday. “So great to spend time with some of their brave patients and hard working doctors and nurses,” the First Lady wrote after her visit.

And Now, Here's Your Chuckle For The Day!

Yeah, THEY Wanna Repeal It . . . Surprised?

And now, an excerpt from an insightful column by Cheryl K. Chumley in the Washington Times:
Forget former U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens and his eyebrow-raising call for a repeal of the Second Amendment.
Fully 21 percent of Americans think the same way. That’s according to a poll taken back in February by the Economist/YouGov. . . .
And here’s the skinny: 39 percent of Democrats supported repeal. . . .
Click here for the entire column.

Will Wonders Never Cease? Get A Load Of This!



Friday, March 30, 2018

Hmmm . . . Let's Pray It's Not All True!



In The Blessed Spirit Of The Holiday!



Spend a few moments with our gracious, beautiful First Lady -- a wonderful ambassador for all that is good, caring and generous! Thank you, Melania Trump!

Finally: This Time Let's Focus On OUR Country!

t’s time to rebuild 
“America is a Nation, like you, of builders. A Nation of pioneers. A Nation that accepts no limits,” President Donald J. Trump told a group of workers outside of Cleveland, Ohio, yesterday. “We don’t give up.”

With those words, the President launched what he likes to call “the next phase of America’s economic comeback”—an investment of more than $1.5 trillion in Federal and non-Federal spending to rebuild America’s crumbling infrastructure. The plan incentivizes State, local, and private investment while getting Washington out of the way with fewer regulatory hurdles and a streamlined permitting process.

“Washington spent trillions building up foreign countries while allowing OUR OWN infrastructure to fall into a state of total disrepair,” President Trump tweeted yesterday. “No more! It's time to REBUILD, and we will do it with American WORKERS, American GRIT, and American PRIDE!”

Read moreHow President Trump wants Washington to start investing in America again

A weekend of sacred celebrations 

Many Americans will observe important religious holidays this weekend as the calendar turns to April. Tonight marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover, which continues until the evening of April 7. Today is also the Christian observance of Good Friday, followed by Easter Sunday this weekend.

President Trump offers his blessings to followers of both faiths. “At this holy time of the year, families across our Nation gather in homes, churches, and synagogues to light candles and to praise God,” the President says in a video address. “Both of these sacred celebrations remind us that God’s love redeems the world.”

The First Family will also host the 140th Annual Easter Egg Roll on the White House’s South Lawn this Monday.

Can’t argue with results 

Thanks to the tax cuts signed into law by President Trump in December, more than 470 companies have announced pay raises, bonuses, utility rate cuts, 401(k) hikes, or other expanded benefits, according to the nonprofit Americans for Tax Reform.

This week, McDonald’s—as of 2015, the world’s second-largest private employer—joined this growing list. The company is expanding its education benefits program for workers, in some cases even tripling the amount of money employees are eligible to receive to help pay for college or trade school tuition.

News also broke this week that U.S. jobless claims have declined to their lowest level since 1973. “Can’t argue with the results,” Press Secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted. “President Trump’s policies are working.”

PHOTO OF THE DAY


First Lady Melania Trump visits the Palm Beach Children’s Hospital at the St. Mary’s Medical Center  | March 29, 2018 (Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks)

Minimalism: A Look Into 'The Untroubled Mind'

This spring and summer (May 19 - October 14) the Philadelphia Museum of Art will present an intimately scaled installation featuring four paintings by Agnes Martin from the bequest of the late philanthropist, Daniel W. Dietrich II, a crucial supporter of the artist’s career. Three of these paintings date to the mid-1960s, and the fourth to 1985. They will be exhibited with additional works on paper and sculpture that Dietrich collected. This installation will explore the ideas that inform Martin’s minimalist art, and reflect upon the enduring friendship that existed between a major artist and her patron.

Timothy Rub, The George D. Widener Director and Chief Executive Officer, said: “Dan was a generous philanthropist and an admirer and avid collector of Martin’s work. He supported her first major mid-career retrospective in 1973 at the Institute of Contemporary Art here in Philadelphia. From that seminal moment onward, he continued to champion her work and added superb examples to his private collection. This installation provides a unique opportunity to understand the nature of Martin’s contribution to contemporary art and to understand how aspects of Dietrich’s transformative gift fit so well into our collection.”

Martin created each of the paintings that will be on view—Leaf (1965), Play II (1966), Hill (1967) and Untitled #6 (1985)— using acrylic paint and graphite. These works, each six-feet square, will be complemented in the installation by another painting in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Rose (1965), a centennial gift of the Woodward Foundation in 1975, of the same medium and size.

The drawings included in this installation, such as The Sea/Ocean Water (1960), attest to Martin and Dietrich’s cordial relationship, as Martin dedicated the work to Dietrich. In addition to the works of art, archival materials of notes and correspondence between artist and patron will be included.

About Agnes Martin (1912 – 2004)
Born in Canada, Agnes Martin moved to the United States in 1931. She received her B.S. degree from Teachers College, Columbia University, in 1942, and her M.A. in 1952. Martin’s minimalist compositions include grids and stripes in pale colors on a square format. Her work has been included in exhibitions around the world, among them the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania (1973); Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (1991); Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (1993); Dia: Beacon, New York (2004); Tate Modern, London (2015); Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf (2015–16); Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York (2016). Among the many awards that Martin received were the Skowhegan Medal for Painting (1987), the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Biennale (1997), National Medal of Arts from the Office of the President (1998), and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Women’s Caucus for Art (2005).

About the Daniel W. Dietrich II Bequest
Dietrich’s remarkable bequest of American art came to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2016. It is rich in works of American art from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries by key figures such as Thomas Eakins, Albert Pinkham Ryder, Charles Demuth, Marsden Hartley, Horace Pippin, Edward Hopper, Edwin Dickinson, Philip Guston, Eva Hesse, Agnes Martin, Paul Thek, and Cy Twombly. In addition to this bequest, the Museum received an endowment gift of $10 million from the Daniel W. Dietrich II Foundation that supports the work of the Museum’s Contemporary Art Department, including new initiatives such as the establishment of the Daniel W. Dietrich II Fellowship in Contemporary Art.

About Daniel W. Dietrich II
Daniel W. Dietrich II lived in Chester County, Pennsylvania. He maintained a lifelong interest in the arts, including theater, music, film, literature, and the visual arts. He was a longtime supporter of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, was a member of the Anne d’Harnoncourt Society and served as a member of the Museum’s Contemporary Art Committee. He also provided significant support to many other cultural institutions, including the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia and the Association for Public Art.

Curators
Erica F. Battle, The John Alchin and Hal Marryatt Associate Curator of Contemporary Art
Olena Chervonik, The Daniel W. Dietrich II Fellow in Contemporary Art

Location
Gallery 174

Public Program
The Rose Susan Hirschhorn Behrend Lecture: Nancy Princethal on Agnes Martin
June 9, 2:00 p.m.
Perelman Auditorium

This lecture considers the role of biography in the context of interpreting the work of artists. A talk by Nancy Princenthal—art critic and author of Agnes Martin. Her Life and Art, a monograph published in 2015—will touch upon questions that pervade the relationship between the private life of an artist whose work has gained public stature.

FINALLY! The Ultimate Guide To Joizee!



Here it is: the beautiful Garden State -- New Jersey -- explained and interpreted for you as never before. This should tell you just about everything you need to know!

A Life Enriched By Beautiful Design! Magnifico!



On his new TV show, The Advocates, Dan Cirucci chats with one of the hottest interior designers in the region -- a native of Italy who brings La Dolce Vita to everything he touches.
Don't miss this!

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Back On TV . . . Sparkling . . . And Making News!



Roseanne Barr talks about the return of her hit show, "Roseanne" on ABC and reveals how a reunion episode turned into a full reboot.

They're Skeptical - And That's Putting It Mildly!

CBS-TV’s long-running “60 Minutes” series scored its highest-ever ratings Sunday night with its interview of porn star Stormy Daniels who claims she had a sexual relationship with Donald Trump 12 years ago. But most voters don’t attach much importance to her claims now that Trump is president of the United States.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 54% of Likely U.S. Voters closely followed news reports about the Daniels interview, with 21% who followed those reports Very Closely. Forty-five percent (45%) didn’t pay close attention to the “60 Minutes” interview, including another 21% who didn’t follow news reports about it at all. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

But only 39% attach any importance to the Daniels interview when it comes to their perceptions of the president and the job he is doing. Fifty-six percent (56%) don’t. This includes 17% who say the interview is Very Important to their perceptions of Trump and 34% who say it’s Not At All Important.

Perhaps in part that’s because a new high of 52% believe when most reporters write or talk about Trump, they are trying to block him from passing his agenda. By contrast, 48% said most reporters were trying to help President Obama pass his agenda in the second year of his presidency.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in Rasmussen polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on March 27-28, 2018 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Less than two weeks before the 2016 presidential election, 57% of voters said the allegations of sexual harassment made against Trump by several women were important to their vote, but only 12% said the allegations changed their decision on which candidate to vote for.

And Now, The Next Big Phase MUST Begin . . .

The next phase of America’s comeback 

Last month, President Donald J. Trump called upon Congress and State and local governments to embrace his Infrastructure Initiative, which aims to spur $1.5 trillion in investment through a combination of Federal funding and incentivized non-Federal funding.

Today, the President travels to Ohio to make his case directly to the American people. He will visit an expansive training site for members of the International Union of Operating Engineers, a diversified trade union that includes heavy equipment operators, mechanics and surveyors, and stationary engineers.

Here is what he will tell Ohioans:
  • This Administration is fighting every day to protect, defend, and grow American jobs. That includes eliminating a record number of job-killing regulations.
  • We have unleashed American energy independence – foreign energy imports are at their lowest level in nearly 40 years.
  • The next phase of America’s economic comeback is to rebuild America’s crumbling infrastructure. We will breathe new life into our run-down highways, railways, and waterways, and we will transform our roads and bridges—all under budget and ahead of schedule.



Fixing bad trade deals 

Since the U.S.-Korea Trade Agreement (KORUS) went into effect in 2012, the U.S. trade in goods deficit has grown from $13.2 billion to $22.9 billion—an increase of 73 percent. In July of last year, at the direction of President Trump, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer began negotiations with South Korea to amend KORUS.

As a result, South Korea is doubling the number of American automobiles that can enter its market each year using U.S. safety standards from 25,000 to 50,000 per manufacturer. South Korea also agreed to address its onerous and costly customs procedures that have hindered U.S. exports, as well as limit its steel imports into the United States with a product-specific quota.

“We want to make a deal that’s fair for the United States and fair for South Korea,” President Trump said. And thanks to Trade Rep. Lighthizer’s work, the Administration has done just that.

The next generation of conservative leaders 

Attendees at the White House “Generation Next” forum last week included millennials who are small business owners, farmers, journalists, policy analysts, and leaders on college campuses. Charlie Kirk, founder of the conservative nonprofit Turning Point USA, led a Q&A with President Trump in front of about 150 of these young men and women.

A few of President Trump’s quotes from the conversation:
  • In response to a question about free speech on college campuses: “I think the numbers are actually much different than people think. I think we have a lot of support.”
  • On the economy: “You know, we were at about 1.2 percent GDP. We’ve now hit 3, and another 3, and a 3.2. . . . Our businesses are flourishing.”
  • On a former classmate who demonstrates the importance of vocational schools: “That person could fix an engine or a motor so—he was incredible. Blind folded.”

PHOTO OF THE DAY


President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump at a speech on the opioid crisis  | March 19, 2018 (Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks)

POTUS TODAY


Today, President Trump travels to Richfield, Ohio, to deliver remarks on the Infrastructure Initiative.

Our Warmest Wishes For A Wonderful Passover!


Happy Passover, Chag Pesach Sameach, to everyone from the Dan Cirucci Blog.
During Passover, it is tradition to recount the story of the ancient Israelites' Exodus from Egypt, which is about the difficult journey from a place of hardship to one of freedom and renewal.
We wish everyone joy, freedom and fulfillment during this blessed season of faith and renewal!

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Not Bad For The First 14 Months; Not Bad At All!

Travel Ban ✅
Deregulation ✅
Tax Cuts and Reform ✅
Repeal Obamacare Mandate✅
Conservative Judges ✅
Withdraw from Paris Climate Accord✅
Destroy ISIS✅
Tariffs on Trade✅
Renegotiate Trade Deals✅
Build the Wall✅
Promises made, promises kept✅

H/T: @JoeyCortese45

They Want, Deserve Honesty, Fairness . . .

NJGOP Chairman Doug Steinhardt released the following statement regarding the news of Senator Bob Menendez’s campaign kick-off:

“New Jersey’s over five million registered voters will finally have a chance to render their verdict on Senator Bob Menendez’s record,” said Chairman Steinhardt. “He’s a career politician who has spent more time staying one step ahead of the law than he has in step with his New Jersey constituents. We need a U.S. Senator who will use his influence to change New Jersey’s abysmal distinction as the 50th State out of 50 for sending more federal tax dollars out of State than it gets back in federal benefits, rather than using that influence to help his friends and donors bilk taxpayers out of hundreds of millions of dollars in Medicare funds.”

Chairman Steinhardt added, “Public polling suggests that a jury of Senator Menendez’s constituents aren’t so sure about his close relationship and dealing with his self-proclaimed best friend and convicted felon Solomon Melgen. The man who showered Menendez with vacations, gifts and campaign contributions defrauded seniors and will likely spend the rest of his life in prison for it, yet Menendez still stands by his side. A recent Rutgers poll showed a majority of New Jersey wanted a new Senator and a recent Quinnipiac poll showed Menendez’s favorability rating is upside down among independent voters in the state. We have a real shot at putting a qualified Republican in that Senate seat.”

And Now, Here's Your Chuckle For The Day



With apologies to our Democrat and liberal friends. But, we just couldn't resist.

Another Win And More Good Economic News?

Another win on trade 

In the past few weeks, President Donald J. Trump has fought to secure one of his key promises to the American people: negotiating free, fair, and reciprocal trade deals for the American worker.

Yesterday, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer announced a new agreement with South Korea that accomplishes exactly that:
“The improved KORUS agreement reflects the President’s leadership in delivering more reciprocal trade outcomes benefiting U.S. workers, exporters, and businesses. The United States and Korea have strengthened an important economic relationship by agreeing to substantial improvements to KORUS that will help rebalance our trade, reduce our trade deficit, and expand U.S. export opportunities.”
News of the deal is earning the Administration widespread recognition. “The finalization of a trade agreement with South Korea would hand Mr. Trump a victory in his ‘America First’ approach to trade,” The New York Times reported.

 
Optimism abounds 

Each week, the Administration is seeing more and more news that consumer and business confidence continue to soar, particularly now that President Trump’s tax cuts are helping the U.S. economy take off after eight years of stagnation.
The latest headlines show the good news keeps coming: 
  • Pew: Economy ‘Good-Excellent’ Rating Highest in 18 Years (Washington Examiner)
  • Business Economists Optimistic About Growth: Survey (The Hill)
  • U.S. Consumer Confidence Hits 14-Year High (The Wall Street Journal)
  • U.S. Job Openings Surge to Record High in January (Reuters)
President Trump’s work is only just beginning, but the early signs all show that smart policy is all it took to unleash America’s economic power.

Secretary DeVos: How omnibus makes schools safer 

The bipartisan omnibus deal that President Trump signed into law last week delivers desperately needed resources for our Nation’s troops. Another important goal it accomplishes is helping to make American schools safer.

“The president has called on Congress to expand mental health programs, including those that help identify and treat individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others,” Education Secretary Betsy DeVos wrote in the Washington Examiner this week. “Congress heard and acted on this request in its omnibus spending bill, giving $700 million to the Department of Education for Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants.”

As part of the omnibus, Congress also passed the STOP School Violence Act and the Fix NICS Act, the latter of which strengthens America’s criminal background check system.

PHOTO OF THE DAY


The Jacqueline Kennedy Garden  | March 26, 2018 (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian)

POTUS TODAY


This morning, President Trump hosted a credentialing ceremony for newly appointed ambassadors to Washington, D.C. The President will then have lunch with the Secretary of Defense.

Vice President Mike Pence will deliver keynote remarks at an America First Policies “Tax Cuts to Put America First” event at the Minneapolis Convention Center.