Blog Posts: We've NEVER Missed A Day!

It's occurred to us that we've never missed a day.
That's right!
After nearly four years, we're still producing new material for the Dan Cirucci Blog all day, every day. That includes Saturday and Sunday and Christmas and Easter and New Year's Day and the Fourth of July and all those other days -- every one of them.
More than 5,000 posts have appeared here.
We're here EVERY day.
And, God willing, we'll continue to be here day after day for you.
Isn't that a good reason to keep coming back?

The Joys Of The South

"Good Mawnin!"
It's so nice to hear that lilting greeting once again -- and so wonderful to be around people who speak in gentle, melodic tones.
Yes, we've headed south.
We're already in  South Carolina and will spend time in the gracious old city of Charleston today and tomorrow.
We always associate The South with gentility, warm hospitality, cherished traditions and good manners.
It's true: The South really is different. It's one of the only areas of our increasingly-homogenized nation that still retains its own individuality; its own special character and identity.
And in the summer in The South, everything just moves a little slower. And that's just fine with us. Lazy southern days suit us. They allow us plenty of time to savor The South's natural wonders and soak up all that South Carolina's beguiling Low Country has to offer.
Soon, we'll be at our southern comand center on beautiful Hilton Head Island. And we'll be lovin it, as always.
We'll take long walks or cycle casually under lush live oaks and tall pines. Miles of endlessly smooth, inviting beaches will welcome us. No struggles to find a spot on the beach here -- and no beach fees. The ocean is calm and warm -- no shivers! Just walk right in.
There's nothing not to like here. But it's the people that we like most. They're friendly and most appear to be sensible and well-grounded. Intact families are the norm here -- not the exception.
Likewise, small towns and villages (and small town values) abound.
We'll be here for an extended period of time (Can you blame us?) but we'll still be in tune with the day's headlines and the events of the world. And we'll still be commenting on the current scene, politics, the arts and the popular culture. Plus now, we'll be interspersing all of that with reflections on Summer (our favorite season), Hilton Head and life in The South.
We'll also share photos with you.
Stay tuned!

Rove: Why Obama Is Likely To Lose In '12

In the Wall Street Journal, Karl Rove has a cogent analysis of President Obama's current predicament and his prospects in 2012. Here's how the column opens:

President Barack Obama is likely to be defeated in 2012. The reason is that he faces four serious threats. The economy is very weak and unlikely to experience a robust recovery by Election Day. Key voter groups have soured on him. He's defending unpopular policies. And he's made bad strategic decisions.

Click here to read the entire column.

Video: How Obama Predicted His Own Demise

Click here to learn more and get involved.

Christie: There Is No Magic Wand!

"There is no magic wand."
That's the message that Governor Chris Christie offers to the people of his state. And Christie offered it again this week at a local Town Hall meeting.
Nobody drives home a point -- or puts it into sensible, everyday terms -- like Chris Christie. And one would suspect that Christie would offer this same type of message were he to take the national stage at some point: reduce the size of government, curb entitlements, cut spending, keep taxes down (or lower or eliminate taxes) and help the private sector lead the way to recovery.
Here's Governor Christie at his his 20th Town Hall of 2011 in Fair Lawn, NJ. yesterday.

Christie Signs Bills Into Law

On Tuesday, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed the following bills into law:

S-125/A-322 (Connors, Van Drew/Rumpf, Milam, Albano, Vainieri Huttle, Conaway) – Establishes NJ Alzheimer’s Disease Study Commission

         S-2541/A-3602 (Madden, Norcross/Moriarty, Ramos, Mainor, Wilson) – Enhances penalty for killing police dog or dog engaged in search and rescue efforts

Last week, Governor Christie also signed the following bill into law:

S-114/A-2299 (Connors, Madden/Wagner, Conners, Ramos, Gove, Rumpf) – Allows municipalities to provide free or reduced fee beach badges to active military and NJ National Guard personnel

Video: Ryan Dunn Viewing, West Chester

Friends and relatives arrived this afternoon for the Ryan Dunn viewing in West Chester, PA. From afternoon into the evening, family and friends filed into a local funeral home.
Dunn, resided in West Chester and was a daredevil and prankster on the MTV series “Jackass” and three movies with the same title. His co-star, “Bam” Margera, reportedly entered the funeral home through a back entrance
Dunn and a companion in his Porsche were killed in a fiery car crash early Monday morning just outside of West Chester. 
In lieu of flowers, donations in Ryan’s memory may be made to his favorite charity, The Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Foundation, www.teammatesforkids.com.
Click here for more on this story.

Capozzi Election Challenge Advances; You Can Help!

Here is a special, very important message from Philadelphia's Second Council District candidate Barbara Capozzi:

Motivated by concerns of election day voter machine tampering, Second Council District Candidate Barbara Capozzi has petitioned the Court of Common Pleas to investigate irregularities. The candidate needed 20 affidavits from witnesses in order to submit to the Court, and well-exceeded that minimum with 31 accounts of ballot fraud.

Since the filing last week, additional witnesses have reached out and the campaign is keeping track of these accounts.

Capozzi continues to fight diligently to voice the concerns of the voters of the Second Council District. All of this action requires funding that wasn't anticipated as part of the regular election process.

Your contribution will help the campaigns continued efforts to bring accuracy and honesty to the voting process. Please consider making a donation today, to help us see this part of the process to the end and final decision!

Click here to donate.

We urge everyone to get involved in this effort and help insure that the final results of this election reflect the will of the people of Philadelphia's Second Council District!

Happy Birthday To The Wanamaker Organ!

Today marks the 100th birthday/anniversary of the spectacular Wanamaker Organ which occupies the Grand Court of the Macy's (formerly Wanamaker's) store in center city Philadelphia.
Built by the Los Angeles Art Organ Company for the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, the Wanamaker Organ was designed by renowned organ architect George Ashdown Audsley, author of The Art of Organ-Building. This heroic instrument had more than 10,000 pipes, and its construction was on such a lavish scale that costs soared to $105,000, bankrupting the builder.
In 1909, Philadelphia merchant-prince John Wanamaker bought the instrument for his new Philadelphia emporium. Thirteen freight cars were required to ship the entire organ from St. Louis, and installation took two years. The Grand Organ was first heard in the Store's seven-story atrium on June 22, 1911, at the exact moment when England's King George V was crowned at Westminster Abbey. Later that year, it was prominently featured when President William Howard Taft dedicated the Store.

Despite its immense size, the tone was judged inadequate to fill the huge court. Wanamaker's opened a private pipe-organ factory in the Store attic, employing up to 40 full-time employees to enlarge the instrument. William Boone Fleming, the original factory supervisor, was hired to direct the work. Lavish construction and elegant workmanship made the Wanamaker Organ both a tonal wonder and a monument to superb craftsmanship. The largest pipe is made of flawless Oregon sugar-pine three inches thick and more than 32 feet long—so large that a Shetland Pony was once posed inside for publicity photos.

The smallest pipe is a quarter-inch in length. More than 8,000 pipes were added to the Organ between 1911 and 1917, and from 1924 to 1930 an additional 10,000 pipes were installed, bringing the total number of pipes today to 28,500.

Commanding these huge resources is a massive console with six ivory keyboards and 729 color-coded stop tablets. There are 168 piston buttons under the keyboards and 42 foot controls. The console weighs 2.5 tons; the entire instrument weighs 287 tons.

The Friends of the Wanamaker Organ have planned an entire series of special concerts, tours and other events bouilt around the organ's centennial. 

Click here for more information.

Confirmed: 'Jackass' Star Was Drunk During Crash

It's now being reported that "Jackass" star Ryan Dunn had a blood-alcohol content that was more than twice the legal limit when he and a passenger died in a fiery one-car crash near West Chester, PA. this week
The confirmation comes via a police toxicology report.
Authorities say that Dunn's Porsche may have been traveling as fast as 140 mph in a 55 mph zone The Porsche jumped a guardrail, flew into a wooded area, struck a tree and then burst into flames, according to police.
Dunn's 0.196 at the time of the crash, according to the toxicology report. The legal limit for drivers is .08.
The report was released today by West Goshen (PA.) Township Police.
Dunn, 34, and his passenger Zachary Hartwell, 30, died early Monday after leaving a bar in West Chester. Hours before the crash, Dunn tweeted a photo from the bar showing the pair and a third man drinking. The photo has since been taken down.
Click here for more on this story.