Dan Cirucci Blog: Week's Top Five Stories!

Top Five Posts - Week of 12/18

Entry
WOW! What A Difference Five Years Makes . . . Dec 17, 2016
Even As You Watch It, You Won't Believe It! Dec 17, 2016
There's Still Time To Do The Most Good! Dec 19, 2016
Here's A Great Deal For You, But HURRY! Dec 18, 2016
I Guess It's Really This Bad For Some People . . .... Dec 20, 2016

Let The Light Glow Bright - Happy Hanukkah To All!

Hanukkah begins tonight at sundown and continues over the next eight days. 
Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday celebrated for eight days and nights.
It starts on the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev, which coincides with late November-late December on the secular calendar.
In Hebrew, the word "hanukkah" means “dedication.” The name reminds us that this holiday commemorates the re-dedication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem following the Jewish victory over the Syrian-Greeks in 165 B.C.E.
Each day at sundown one more candle is lit until the entire Hannukkah menorah glows with the light of the holiday. That's why you will not see the candles (or electric lights) on the menorah fully lit for seven of the eight days.

May the glow of the Hanukkah candles bring you the gift of renewed faith, joy and contentment! 

Happy Hanukkah!

The Week's Most Shameful, Disgusting News!

Can You Imagine A More Glorious Feast?

People always ask me about the Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes served on Christmas Eve.

So strong is this tradition that I can honestly say that in my lifetime I've never spent a Christmas Eve without a variety of fish dishes spread before me. This is a hallowed custom that is passed from one generation to another.
To begin with you must have seven fish selections on the table.
Why seven? Seven is a very important number. It stands for the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. The seven days of creation. In Biblical numerology, seven is a number of perfection.

And fish is the featured dish because Italians have customarily abstained from eating meat on Christmas Eve. In fact, I do believe that for a long time the Catholic church prohibited the eating of meat the day before Christmas, This is the Christmas vigil.
There is no set menu for this feast.

But here are some of the fishes that are traditionally used: calamari (squid); scungilli [skuhn-GEE-lee] (conch); baccala [bah-kah-LAH] (dry, salt cod); shrimp; clams, usually served with pasta; mussels; snapper, trout, tuna or salmon.
We have adapted this menu over the years and updated it somewhat.

So, our annual feast usually includes calamari, baccala, shrimp, crab cakes, tuna, smelts and salmon. The cod and shrimp are served in both cold and fried or sautéed varieties. Shrimp is served as a shrimp cocktail and as shrimp scampi. Crab is served as both breaded and fried crab balls and fresh, cold crab claws. The baccala is served fried and in a salad. The calamari is served baked and stuffed. The tuna is served with spaghetti in a red sauce. The smelts are fried and the salmon is broiled. In addition to all of this it is customary to serve fried cauliflower and Italian greens.

Our feast is usually preceded by cocktails (that's where the cold shrimp and crab come in) with much chatter and anticipation.

The Feast of the Seven Fishes takes up the entire evening -- usually beginning with the preliminaries at around 5 or 6 PM and often continuing into the wee hours of the morning.

The bountiful array of food remains on the table for everyone to enjoy. Any guests who happen to arrive are also welcomed to partake.

Desserts include an assortment of rich cakes, pies and cookies as well as cannoli and espresso.
Our feast is more casual than it was in years past but fine china, linens and glassware are still used on the table and when I say "casual" I mean business casual. So, this is definitely not a night for jeans or sweat suits or any kind of athletic gear.

And since it's Italian, it's an evening of high drama. All emotions (and generations) are at play. So, it's grand opera one minute, a Broadway musical the next and then lots of rap, in no particular order.

To survive the evening, you need to pace yourself.

It's fine (and expected) to eat more than you usually would -- even much more. But you must take your time. It's best to taste a bit of everything, moving through the huge menu in a careful, measured manner. My favorites are the crab cakes, shrimp and tuna pasta. So, I have to be careful not to eat so much of those dishes lest I not have room for anything else.

And then there are the desserts, which are always spectacular.

If you do not partake of a bit of everything you're liable to offend your host.

Like I said, for Italian families this ritual feast is sacrosanct and emotions often run so high. Why? Because the meaning of the evening is all wrapped up with feelings, memories, loved ones (including those who have passed on) and our most cherished values. And all of these are centered in la famiglia -- the family! Consequently, one must drink in moderation.
In fact, if you feel an urge to lift your glass frequently make sure you're lifting a glass of water.
With all the fish on the table, you will need it.

Enjoy these photos from one of our recent feasts:

Cold shrimp.

Crab balls.

The spaghetti with tuna in red sauce.

The bitter Italian greens.

Salmon.

Smelts, crab and fried cauliflower.

Cod and fried cauliflower.

Chocolates, miniature cupcakes, cookies, key lime pie and the tree. 

Absolutely Perfect, No Matter Which One You Pick!

South Jersey Native Earns Top Spot On New Team!

President-elect Donald J. Trump has announced his selection of Kellyanne Conway to serve as Counselor to the President. Conway has been serving as a senior member of the President-elect’s transition team and previously served as the campaign manager of his successful run for the presidency.

In her position, Conway will continue her role as a close advisor to the president and will work with senior leadership to effectively message and execute the Administration’s legislative priorities and actions.

“Kellyanne Conway has been a trusted advisor and strategist who played a crucial role in my victory. She is a tireless and tenacious advocate of my agenda and has amazing insights on how to effectively communicate our message. I am pleased that she will be part of my senior team in the West Wing,” said President-elect Trump.

President-elect Trump’s victory on November 8th also shattered the glass ceiling for women. Conway is the first female campaign manager of either major party to win a presidential general election.

“I want to thank the President-elect for this amazing opportunity. A Trump presidency will bring real change to Washington and to Americans across this great nation. I am humbled and honored to play a role in helping transform the movement he has led into a real agenda of action and results,’ said Conway.

Conway graduated magna cum laude from Trinity College (Washington, DC) and holds a J.D. with honors from George Washington University Law School. She is the founder and owner of The Polling Company, inc./WomanTrend, a polling and research firm that for 21 years has served leading political figures, nonprofits and companies. She is a native of Atco (Winslow Township) NJ and attended school at St. Joseph's in nearby Hammonton.

Is THIS The Year's Biggest Story For YOU?

It certainly is for us!
And if you've followed the Dan Cirucci Blog all year, you certainly knew it was coming.

A Great Team Ready To Serve A Great Leader!

President-elect Donald J. Trump today announced the senior members of his communications team.

The President-elect named Sean Spicer Assistant to the President and Press Secretary, Hope Hicks Assistant to the President and Director of Strategic Communications, Jason Miller Assistant to the President and Director of Communications, and Dan Scavino Assistant to the President and Director of Social Media.

“Sean, Hope, Jason and Dan have been key members of my team during the campaign and transition. I am excited they will be leading the team that will communicate my agenda that will Make America Great Again,” said President-elect Trump.

There's Just No If/When/How About It, OK?

Here is a very special message from the Cardinal Newman Society:

Sometimes change isn’t good. The new iteration of a pro-abortion organization of law school students is worse than the previous version.

Law Students for Reproductive Justice expanded its mission and changed its name this year to If/When/How—as in, everyone should be allowed “to decide if, when, and how to create and sustain families.” You may recall our report last month, when this same group co-sponsored a pro-abortion conference at Georgetown.

In fact, student chapters exist at more than a dozen Catholic law schools. These students are being trained to reject the concept of justice for the unborn. Read and share our report on this terrible situation here.

Please also read and share these new reports on our website:
 

• In stark contrast to the universities embracing pro-abortion advocacy, the Newman Guide-recommended University of Mary was selected to lead the 2017 March for Life. Read about the importance of this “huge honor” for the campus community here.
   
• In his “Report Card” column this week, Matt Archbold highlights Dr. Dan Guernsey’s comments in the National Catholic Register about Donald Trump’s pick for Education Secretary, along with an essay by Ave Maria President Jim Towey celebrating the end of President Obama’s “sustained assault on religious liberty.” Hear, hear!.
   

All of us at The Cardinal Newman Society hope that you have a very merry and holy Christmas celebration this weekend! Thank you so much for your support of faithful Catholic education. God bless you!

 In Christ,

 Adam Cassandra
 Editor

No, He's Definitely NOT Amused . . . .

Gov. Chris Christie defended a now-defeated plan to raise salaries for judges, as well as other government officials, saying New Jersey’s efforts to attract quality candidates for key posts will suffer without a pay hike.