R. I. P. NASH ROBERTS

Legendary TV weatherman Nash C. Roberts Jr., revered as much for his calm, level-headed presence as the accuracy of his hurricane path projections, has died at age 92, WWL-TV has reported.

For more than 50 years, Gulf Coast weather-watchers relied on Mr. Roberts to tell them where tropical storms would come ashore.

From before Hurricane Betsy in 1965 to beyond Hurricane Georges in 1998, Mr. Roberts was widely considered the region's most authoritative source for hurricane news.

And in the age of Super Doppler and satellite imagery, there remained for hundreds of thousands of New Orleanians a great sense of relief in seeing Mr. Roberts on screen with his throwback bulletin-board-style weather map and felt-tip pens.

"He was old school, but you know what? I miss that," said Bob Breck, chief meteorologist at Fox affiliate WVUE-Channel 8 and a feisty competitor for many years.

Breck said he admired Mr. Roberts' independent approach to forecasting big storms.

"I think Nash wasn't afraid to fail. He trusted his instincts and he just followed his gut. I think that's what people remember him for.

"He was just a man who was a giant of the industry."

Even after his retirement from WWL-TV's nightly newscasts in 1984, Mr. Roberts would reappear on Channel 4 whenever a serious storm entered the Gulf of Mexico.

For all those years, you didn't hear the definitive word on where the hurricane would make landfall until you heard it from Nash, standing before his bulletin board with his black felt marker, long after the other TV meteorologists had moved on to high-tech computer-generated images. I can't think of a TV forecaster or reporter working today who inspires the trust of a such vast number of people as Nash did amongst the people on the Gulf Coast.

In July 2001, Mr. Roberts announced his full retirement, setting aside his black markers to care for his ailing wife, Lydia.

"I actually prayed that I would outlive her, so that I could take care of her," Nash told WWL news anchor Angela Hill at the time. "That's how it's working out."

The decision by Nash to step away from the job that he loved to care for the love of his life, demonstrates the character and principles of the man who inspired such trust and admiration in thousands of people.

Mr. Roberts' accurate prediction that Hurricane Georges in 1998 would make landfall east of New Orleans, while all the computer models and other television stations were still insisting Georges would drift to the west, earned him national attention.

I will never forget the evening when the very Bob Breck who is quoted in the article appeared on a rival TV station after Nash predicted Hurricane Georges would make landfall in Biloxi, Mississippi. Breck said, "The storm is not going to Biloxi."

Early the next morning, Breck appeared on TV and said in a strained, squeaky voice, "It certainly looks like it's headed toward the Biloxi area".

May Nash rest in peace and rise in glory as he rejoins Lydia, the love of his life.

STORY OF THE DAY - LEAVES OF MUSIC

She seemed to move everywhere
dancing & music followed her like leaves
on the wind.

From StoryPeople.

Lovely, lovely, lovely.

PLEASE PRAY...

From Ann:

Prayers for our son in law - David - who is having a thyroid biopsy and maybe more depending on what they find out. Dec. 20.

Almighty God our heavenly Father, graciously comfort your servant David in his suffering, and bless the means made use of for his cure. Fill his heart with confidence that, though at times he may be afraid, he yet may put his trust in you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

UPDATE ON DAVID:

From his wife, Kristin:

I just heard from David's doctor that the surgery went well and he is in recovery. I'm off to pick him up in a few minutes.

Thanks for all of your good wishes. I'll send out further updates as I get more information.

From Ann:

No report on the biopsy yet.

_________________________________________

From Rudo:

Please add my dad, Lawrence, who is 75 and had a "mini" stroke yesterday. I am a bit anxious because I am not there to see for myself what is going on.
Thanks
Rudo

O God, the strength of the weak and the comfort of sufferers: Mercifully accept our prayers, and grant to your servant Lawrence the help of your power, that his sickness may be turned into health, and our sorrow into joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayers for the families, too, that they may be be at peace.

_________________________________________

UPDATE ON AILEEN:

From Sally Boyd (The priest who ministers to Aileen and her husband Mike):

Hiya, Ann---I pray you are being blessed in all ways. The last update on Aileen was that her liver and pancreas enzyme numbers were better on Friday. However, she was running a "phantom fever" which the doctors were trying to resolve. Otherwise, prayers are requested and appreciated.

THE CHRISTMAS STORY BY KIDS

Adorable! From Doug who said, "This will make you smile." Not only did the video make me smile, it made me laugh. Thank you, Doug!

Enjoy!

JUST A LITTLE EXPLANATION OF CALORIES...

(WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE FOLLOWS!)

do u have this problem?


Don't blame me. Blame Susan S.

FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT

Isaiah 42:1-12

Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be crushed
until he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his teaching.


Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people upon it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness,
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,*
a light to the nations,
to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
I am the Lord, that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to idols.
See, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth,
I tell you of them.


Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise from the end of the earth!
Let the sea roar* and all that fills it,
the coastlands and their inhabitants.
Let the desert and its towns lift up their voice,
the villages that Kedar inhabits;
let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy,
let them shout from the tops of the mountains.
Let them give glory to the Lord,
and declare his praise in the coastlands.

John 3:16-21

‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgement, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.’

Picture from Wikipedia.

O RADIX JESSE

Antiphon sung by the Dominican student brothers at Blackfriars in Oxford.

December 19

O Radix Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum,
super quem continebunt reges os suum,
quem Gentes deprecabuntur:
veni ad liberandum nos, jam noli tardare.


O Root of Jesse, which standest for an ensign of the people,
at Whom the kings shall shut their mouths,
Whom the Gentiles shall seek,
come to deliver us, do not tarry.

Isaiah 11:1, 11:10

A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
....

On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.

Text from Fish Eaters.

Reposted from last year.

DADT IN THE DUSTBIN OF HISTORY - YES!

From TPM:

With just a signature from President Obama, a ban on openly gay servicemembers will no longer be the law of the land.

By a vote of 65 to 31 this afternoon, the Senate voted to repeal the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.

As with almost everything in the Senate these days, the vote for something is a lot less newsworthy than the vote to consider voting for something. Thus, the real fight was over whether repeal proponents could gather the required 60 votes to break a GOP filibuster, end debate and hold a final vote. They did that -- led by Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) -- and repeal moved ahead earlier today.

Go ahead and smile, Harry. I give you permission to gloat. I'm gloating. It's way past time for the discriminatory and ridiculous policy to be repealed.

Back when Clinton announced the DADT policy, I thought, "How ridiculous and unworkable!" And so it turned out to be.

Congress is good for something, after all.

REPUBLICANS IN FULL THROTTLE AGAINST REPEAL OF DADT...

...but looking about ready to run out of gas.




H/T to Box Turtle Bulletin.

DADT INTO THE DUSTBIN OF HISTORY?

Oh, I hope so!

From TPM:

The Senate took a big step toward ending the military's ban on openly gay servicemembers today. By a vote of 63 to 33, the Senate voted to end debate on a bill repealing the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, opening the door for a final Senate vote on the standalone repeal bill passed by the House Tuesday. That means a simple majority of 51 Senators can now bring the legislative fight on repealing DADT to an end. That vote is expected to come -- and expected to succeed -- by the end of the weekend.
....

The path to today's vote was not clear until this week, when the House hastily passed a standalone repeal bill following the Senate GOP's blocking of DADT repeal as part of a defense spending bill that came up earlier this month.

At the time, some thought repealing DADT could no longer happen this year. But Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer sprang into action, working together to write a standalone bill and push it through the House and Senate quickly. That struggle seems to have all but ended today.

Did I ever think I'd be grateful to Joe Lieberman? No, I did not! Thank you Joe!