NJ Health Commissioner Resigns; Successor Chosen

Dr. Poonam Alaigh today announced that due to an urgent illness in the family, she will be resigning from the position of New Jersey Commissioner of Health and Senior Services, effective April 1, 2011. Deputy Commissioner of Health and Senior Services, Mary O’Dowd, will assume the duties of Acting Commissioner, and will be nominated by Governor Christie to be Commissioner of Health.
“My time serving as Commissioner of the Department of Health and Senior Services has been an incredible privilege and honor. I am passionate about the work and accomplishments we have been able to deliver for the families of New Jersey during this time of unprecedented budget challenges. So, it is with both pride and difficulty that I today announce my resignation from the Department,” said Commissioner Alaigh. “I thank Governor Christie for his faith and confidence in nominating me to lead the Department through this historic time for our State, and for his leadership in our efforts to improve healthcare in the state. I also recognize and thank my colleagues in the Department and the Administration for their support and commitment to doing what is right for all New Jerseyans.
“It has been a great privilege to serve Governor Christie and through him the people of New Jersey. Health remains a pressing issue of importance for the Administration. I am confident that under Governor Christie’s leadership of the state, and Mary O’Dowd’s continued leadership at the Department, there will be great strides made in improving quality healthcare for every New Jersey family,” concluded Dr. Alaigh.
In accepting her resignation, Governor Christie thanked Commissioner Alaigh for her service at the Department and her dedication to the people of New Jersey.
“I want to thank Dr. Poonam Alaigh for her dedicated service and extraordinary accomplishments as Commissioner of Health,” said Governor Christie. “Dr. Alaigh leaves this Administration with a strong record of service to the people of our state, including an increase in funding for hospitals two years in a row, the introduction of continuous and coordinated health care coverage for our seniors, innovations in health care delivery and her principled implementation of a scientifically-based medicinal marijuana program. Her commitment and passion for the job has been unprecedented and her stewardship of the Department has been world class through a period of economic difficulty and an increased need among our citizens for quality healthcare services. The people of New Jersey are better served today as a result of Dr. Alaigh’s service.”
Dr. Alaigh was nominated by Governor Christie on January 27, 2010 and took leadership of the Department of Health and Senior Services during a time of unprecedented budget difficulties and critical healthcare issues facing the State and people of New Jersey. Under her leadership, the Department made great progress on significant and emerging health issues, including:

· Reforming and increasing resources for Charity Care Hospital Funding to better care for New Jersey’s most vulnerable citizens;

· Driving the rebalancing of long term care and introducing the concept of a continuum of coordinated care for New Jersey’s seniors;

· Establishing the New Jersey Center for Health Innovations to harness creative and innovative methods to transform the health care delivery; and

· Releasing the “Health of the Newest New Jerseyans” report, the first of its kind in the country.

Other policy issues included the development of appropriate rules that establish the hospital practice of anesthesia and C-PORT-E hospital licensing for cardiac catheterization procedures. Dr. Alaigh remains a strong voice for health information technology in delivering high quality, patient centric healthcare and for initiatives that will bring innovative solutions to ensure independence and dignity for our older adult population.
Mary O’Dowd was appointed Deputy Commissioner of Senior Services and Health Systems in March 2010. O’Dowd had previously served as Chief of Staff for the Department. Prior to joining the Department, O’Dowd worked in financial management for the Emergency Department at NYU Medical Center. O’Dowd is a graduate of Douglas College, Rutgers University and holds a Masters in Public Health from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. She also completed a fellowship in hospital finance at NYU Medical Center.
Dr. Christina Tan, who currently serves as the State Epidemiologist and Assistant Commissioner for Environmental and Occupational Health Services in the Department of Health, will be named Acting Deputy Commissioner of the Department, consistent with the requirement that either the Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner be a physician.
                    

Donald Trump For President? As The GOP Nominee?

Donald Trump.
The mere mention of his name invokes instant reaction.
He certainly has name recognition, no question about it. Almost anything he says or does instantly makes news.
And, most people would agree that he's got moxie -- or, to put it another way, cajones.
On top of all that, he's confident --even brash -- but nonetheless calculating.
Now, Trump is making noises about seeking the presidency and The Daily Caller says he's onto the Obama birth certificate issue.
Here's an excerpt:

“Of course I’d release it. In two seconds I’d release it. If I decide to run, I’ll absolutely release it,” Donald Trump said in an interview with The Daily Caller Thursday, referring to his own birth certificate. “I have it right on my desk. I have it right here, right now, right this minute. I am literally looking at it. Because, based on this I said, ‘do me a favor, get me my birth certificate.’ I have my original birth certificate right here.”Donald Trump has been thinking a lot about birth certificates lately. Indeed, he has made questions about Barack Obama’s birth certificate a pivotal part of his bid for the Republican presidential nomination. And it appears to be working.

Click here to read more.

Three Guys Named 'Joe' VS Barack

Three ordinary "Joes" are teaming up to squash Barack Obama.
One is a rough, tough lawman.
One is an appealing gadfly from the glacial regions.
And the third is a familiar face who garnered his ten minutes of fame and then some.
Together, they're quite a trio and here's an excerpt of a story about them from CNN:

Three guys named Joe are teaming up to try and help defeat one guy named Barack.
The Joes, three figures popular among many conservatives, are Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, 2010 GOP Senate nominee Joe Miller of Alaska and Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, better known during the 2008 presidential campaign as "Joe the Plumber."
They are teaming up Thursday night at a launch party and fundraiser in Montara, California for "The Campaign to Defeat Barack Obama," a group which is dedicated, as the name explains, to trying to beat President Barack Obama in the 2012 election.

Click here to read more.

The Woman Who Defined 'Movie Star'

Here are just a couple of paragraphs from Frank Miller's beautiful tribute to Elizabeth Taylor for Turner Classic Movies.

There may be other contenders for the honor, but if you want the definitive picture to put next to the phrase "movie star" in the dictionary, there's only one person who truly fills the bill -- Elizabeth Taylor. One of the last of the great studio stars, Taylor encompasses all of the glamour and all of the contradictions of stardom. A beautiful child who never went through an awkward phase, she grew up to become one of the most desired women in Hollywood. Even as she matured as an actress of surprising depth, she was generating headlines that made her the focus of unbridled idolatry and unreasoning hatred.

In her 79 years, she has dazzled audiences with her talents for acting and living large, and inspired them with her refusal to give in to heartache or illness. Like every great star she has re-invented herself as needed, ranging from child beauty to budding actress to fallen woman to diva to respected leader in the fight against AIDS. Through it all, the studio manipulations, the broken marriages, and the constant headlines, her greatest accomplishment is simply being her own woman.

Click here to read the entire tribute. It's worth reading!

Elizabeth Taylor Movie Marathon, April 10 On TCM

Turner Classic Movies will remember the life and career of two-time Academy Award®-winning actress and beloved humanitarian Elizabeth Taylor on Sunday, April 10.

The 24-hour memorial tribute, which is set to begin at 6 a.m. (ET/PT), will include both of Taylor's Oscar®-winning performances, with Butterfield 8 (1960) at 8 p.m. (ET) and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) at 10 p.m. (ET).

TCM's tribute will also feature Taylor in such memorable films as the family classics Lassie Come Home (1943) and National Velvet (1944); the delightful comedies Father of the Bride (1950) and Father's Little Dividend (1951); the historical epic Ivanhoe (1952); and the powerful dramas Giant (1956), Raintree County (1957) and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958). Also included is the spy drama Conspirator (1949), with Taylor in her first adult role.

The following is a complete schedule of TCM's April 10 memorial tribute to Elizabeth Taylor (all times Eastern):
6 a.m. - Lassie Come Home (1943), with Roddy McDowall and Edmund Gwenn; directed by Fred M. Wilcox.
7:30 a.m. - National Velvet (1944), with Mickey Rooney, Anne Revere and Angela Lansbury; directed by Clarence Brown.
10 a.m. - Conspirator (1952), with Robert Taylor and Robert Flemyng; directed by Victor Saville.
11:30 a.m. - Father of the Bride (1950), with Spencer Tracy, Billie Burke, Joan Bennett and Don Taylor; directed by Vincente Minnelli.
1:15 a.m. - Father's Little Dividend (1951), with Spencer Tracy, Billie Burke, Joan Bennett and Don Taylor; directed by Vincente Minnelli.
2:45 p.m. - Raintree County (1957), with Montgomery Clift, Eva Marie Saint, Lee Marvin, Rod Taylor and Agnes Moorehead; directed by Edward Dmytryk.
6 p.m. - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), with Paul Newman and Burl Ives; directed by Richard Brooks.
8 p.m. - Butterfield 8 (1960), with Laurence Harvey and Eddie Fisher; directed by Daniel Mann.
10 p.m. - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), with Richard Burton, George Segal and Sandy Dennis; directed by Mike Nichols.
12:30 a.m. - Giant (1956), with James Dean and Rock Hudson; directed by George Stevens.
4 a.m. - Ivanhoe (1952), with Robert Taylor and Joan Fontaine; directed by Richard Thorpe.

In addition to TCM's on-air tribute to Taylor, the 2011 TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood will feature a special 60th anniversary screening of her brilliant performance opposite Montgomery Clift in George Stevens' A Place in the Sun (1951). The TCM Classic Film Festival takes place April 28-May 1.

House Pledged To Cut Spending; Repeal Obamacare

A special message from Speaker of the House John Boehner:

We've just marked the one-year anniversary of President Obama signing the job-crushing health care reform bill into law.  Now that the fog of controversy has cleared, we know that the contents of this law are even worse than anyone expected.  With staggering costs to taxpayers, enormous burdens on small businesses, and forecasted job loss, Americans are more confident than ever that this is not the type of reform they want.

According to the independent Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the estimated cost of this bill now stands at $9.5 trillion over the next decade which is a $2.3 trillion increase over the original White House estimates. One recent study suggests as many as 35 million Americans could lose their employer-based health insurance.  And, according to the CBO, the health care law will result in the loss of more than 800,000 jobs over the next 10 years alone.

As one of the first acts of our new majority, I and my Republican colleagues in the House passed legislation to repeal this job-crushing health care law in its entirety.  The Democratic-led Senate has refused to repeal the law, but we remain undeterred in our commitment to stopping it.  In the coming weeks, you’ll see more votes and more hearings in the People’s House to take this law apart, step by step.  We will continue to listen to the American people and do everything we can to ensure ObamaCare is never fully implemented.

The new House majority is keeping its pledge to America, cutting spending and leading the repeal of this job-crushing law so we can help end the uncertainty facing job creators and put us back on a more responsible financial footing.  

Volunteers Will Welcome Hoops Fans To Newark

When thousands of college basketball fans arrive in Newark this week for the “Sweet Sixteen” round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, their path to the games and around the state’s largest city will be eased by the presence of nearly 1,000 volunteers recruited by the New Jersey Department of State and the Office of Mayor Cory Booker.

“The many volunteers stepping forward demonstrate the community’s commitment to not only the games, but to the city of Newark as well,’’ said Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno, who doubles as Secretary of State. “It is very gratifying to see.’’

The volunteers will have one main goal: help visitors, many of whom likely will be visiting Newark for the first time. Rowena Madden, Director of the State’s Office of Volunteerism, said volunteers will be stationed at Newark Liberty Airport, Penn Station and downtown hotels. Wearing what will be recognizable black and blue shirts, the corps of volunteers will help visitors find their way around the city, whether they’re looking for a ride to the Prudential Center, the site of the games, or a good place for a late night snack or a gourmet dinner. A particular group of volunteers will be deployed along city streets from the downtown business district to the Ironbound section to help visitors find restaurants and cultural sites.

The volunteers were recruited and trained with help from the state’s Business Action Center, which is under the purview of Lt. Governor Guadagno.

Madden said the volunteers include not only Newark residents, but those who work in Newark, as well as students. The NCAA games will be played Friday and Sunday, but volunteers will start on Thursday in conjunction with GoNewarkHoopFest, a series of events aimed at promoting the weekend. Included will be a college fair with twenty universities represented and free open practices for all four teams playing this weekend: North Carolina, Marquette, Kentucky and Ohio State. There also will be a FanFest in downtown Newark featuring musical performances and local food vendors.

The best way to follow all the action and find specific information is to visit gonewark.com/HoopFest.

Call Now To Stop Planned Parenthood Funding

A special Message from CatholicVote.org:

Can you spare five minutes today? Here's why...

Congress is on recess this week. That means your Representative is home in his or her district taking the pulse of the voters they need to get re-elected.

Next week they will return to Washington D.C. and decide whether to hold firm on cutting taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood -- or whether to give in and compromise.

A 5-minute call to their local office will definitely make a difference. Can you call?

Click here to get your Representative’s local phone number

CatholicVote is a proud member of the Expose Planned Parenthood Coalition. This coalition is working together to stop taxpayer funding of abortion giant Planned Parenthood.

Hundreds of thousands of activists have been mobilized by our coalition and today it's our turn.

Today we pledged to ask our members to call the local offices of their member of Congress. It’s time for these Representatives to hear from the Catholic vote!

Get your Representative’s local phone number here:
http://exposeplannedparenthood.net/contact-congress/

Here are some talking points to consider during your call:

1) I am calling today to urge my Representative to cut all taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood. This is not negotiable and defunding must be included in ANY budget legislation.

2) During a time of fiscal crisis, everything should be on the table for spending cuts, especially an embattled, scandal-ridden corporation like Planned Parenthood. There must be no sacred cows.

3) With tens of millions of dollars in profit each year, Planned Parenthood does not need or deserve our taxpayers dollars.

4) Recent undercover videos show that Planned Parenthood staff from the top-down were willing to aid and abet the sex trafficking of children. I cannot be complicit in this activity through my tax dollars.

5) Please stand up for women, girls, unborn children, and taxpayers by defunding Planned Parenthood. This must be a top priority and is non-negotiable.

Of course, not every Member of Congress is pro-life. But you don’t have to be 100% pro-life to support this amendment. Our government is out of money. The last place our dollars should be going is to Big Abortion.

Planned Parenthood gets $360 million of our tax money every year. This has got to stop. Let's do our part. Please pick up the phone.

Poll: Pick Your Very Favorite Elizabeth Taylor Film

From 1942 when she first appeared on the screen in There's One Born Every Minute through her last film role in The Flinstones in 1994 Elizabeth Taylor appeared in 50 feature films.
Through six decades she was a compelling screen presence.
But what is your very favorite Elizabeth Taylor film of all time?
Maybe you enjoyed Elizabeth Taylor as a young girl in Courage of Lassie, Life With Father or National Velvet.
Maybe you liked Elizabeth Taylor the ingenue in Father of the Bride or it's sequel Father's Little Dividend.
Or maybe the lusty, seductive Elizabeth Taylor in A Place In The Sun or Elephant Walk or Giant appealed to you.
Then there were the bountiful glory years with Raintree County, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Suddenly Last Summer, and Butterfield 8.
How about the Richard Burton years with Cleopatra, The VIPs, The Sandpiper, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf and The Taming of the Shrew?
There are so many to choose from.
But what if you could only pick one.
What is your favorite Elizabeth Taylor movie of all time?
Make your selection in our poll at the top of this page.
We've listed some of her best films in chronological order.
Now, you choose your favorite. Go to it!

Romney Building Huge Fund-Raising Advantage

Mitt Romney plans to enter the 2012 presidential race with a huge fund-raising advantage over any potential rivals. Romney will add this to his loyal following and his already strong name-recognition.
Romney's efforts are detailed in a Wall Street Journal story.
Here's an excerpt:

Mitt Romney has quietly launched a 15-city push to secure financial commitments from big-money “bundlers,” hoping to reveal a fund-raising network that would establish him as the prohibitive frontrunner for the Republican nomination for president.
Mr. Romney and top aides will meet Thursday in New York with nearly 100 donors—many from Wall Street— at the Harvard Club. Attendees are being asked to raise between $25,000 and $50,000 for Mr. Romney within 90 days, in an effort to post large fund-raising totals quickly, one person familiar with events said.
On Tuesday, Mr. Romney met with fund-raisers in downtown Washington, where he also gave his view of the early nominating caucuses and primaries.

Click here for the full story.