Raf

Fort Lauderdale is in the cone, technically, but the forecast is for this to miss us entirely. If you look at the map, you'll see a thick blue line on Florida's east coast. That's where tropical storm conditions (winds between 35 and 75 mph) MAY hit. The thick blue line ends due east of that big lake in the middle of the state. Fort Lauderdale is well south of that line. So the short answer is: your daughter will be fine.

Only if you're preparing another hijack.

Forgive the all caps: it's how the Hurricane Center sends out its tropical storm warnings. AT 11 AM EDT...1500Z...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE EAST COAST OF FLORIDA FROM NORTH OF JUPITER NORTHWARD TO TITUSVILLE INCLUDING MERRITT ISLAND...AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE BAHAMAS HAS ISSUED A TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR GRAND BAHAMA... THE ABACOS AND BIMINI.

This is tropical depression 16. The cone is circular, which I guess is what happens when it's still in depression stage. Then comes anger, bargaining, acceptance... just kidding. This is heading straight for land, so it may well never get named (which means Ophelia will be a later storm).

Here's Nate.

Nate's nothing. I'm prepping for Ophelia!

Beet William Tell Jews Beetlejuice. Sick, by the way. :)-->

I blame it on the Alaskan Media. Double whammy, two for the price of one!

No, I got it. Good one. Beetlejuice

I suspect that I'll have to see it nine or ten more times before it sinks in.

I hate to say this, but I'm gonna (and I don't mean it to be mean, but to be provocative - that is, to provoke thought). Criticizing the term "awaiting the return" strikes me as a very TWI-ish thing to do. They loved to get down on everybody because of language, didn't they? Merry Christmas! I hope so! Good luck! And WHAM, the TWI thought police come in and yell EN GARDE! to make you feel guilty for... for what, exactly? Awaiting the return... Yes, it leaves out "of Christ." But so what? Whose return do you think she's awaiting, Bob Hope's? Xena, you're not wrong. If that's the way you feel about the phrase, then don't use it. But (as you correctly pointed out) it really is no bigge. And just as you despise the way TWI nitpicked words to death, you might want to let this one pass. The concept is Biblical. Celebrate that. Leave the quibbling to the quibblers. That's what we left behind! :)-->

My prayers Ron For whom? Just kidding. :)--> Let us know if you need a hand with supplies, Ron.

From the Associated Press:

I've taken the liberty of locking the thread on the Greasespot offshoot site.

We found out about 20 minutes ago, and immediately the newsroom went bananas. I don't mean cheering, but a LOT of reorganizing has to be done when something like this breaks at an hour like that. Good night, Your Honor. Rest well.

A relief to know our friend is well.

Bucket Babe!

You are forgiven. What you have just taught will echo through so many lives, it will be more than you can possibly have been able to give out of your wallet. May I use your words for a sharing/teaching?article?

Good point. I realized that after reading the snopes entry more closely a second time. I still think the most it does is supply an anecdotal object lesson (an opportunity for discussion without affixing blame or anything like that). Thanks LG.

What brought this to everyone's attention, apparently, is that Yahoo.com posted both pics side by side, with their captions, and didn't realize what they had done. They have since pulled the photos and apologized.

This is the kind of subtle message that organizations such as NAHJ and NABJ struggle with on a regular basis. To be fair, the Society for Professional Journalists denounces things like this as a matter of principle as well. I don't think it was racist, in the sense of an active desire to send this message. I think it might show bias, and once it's pointed out to the news organizations, the people responsible would probably be embarrassed (if not defensive). But being "defensive" might be the appropriate response, because the "defense" could very easily be a valid one. I agree with the careful reading provided by snopes: these were two different photographers for two different news services, and I don't have other images to compare them. Did the AP photographer label white people as looters? The the AFP photographer say black people "found" food and supplies? If both those statements are true, then it's not fair to criticize either for inconsistency. The two photos merely provide an anecdotal object lesson.

God Bless Texas.

First off, bygones. The whole argument got out of hand and I'm sorry. My only point was supposed to be that this storm is going to be a lot uglier than we even know at the moment. I've heard some people say some pretty uninformed things, which may turn out to be true in the future, but don't need to be said until we have more information (like the U.S. Senator who said the bodycount will be more than 10,000, then said he wasn't basing this on any information. Dude, if it's not based on information, shut up, Senator)! Anyway, as my posts indicate, I live in Fort Lauderdale, where Katrina came on land as a cat 1 on Aug. 25. And yes, I did already tell this story. Every time you see a thread title with the word "Cone" in it, it's about a Tropical Storm or Hurricane, and I started it. The Cone of Katrina thread is now called "Prayers for the Gulf Coast (Katrina)." No question, I consider myself lucky to have escaped as unscathed as I did, even for South Florida.

Aside from the part I lived through, no. We'll be covering the refugees when they arrive here in South Florida.

You have no idea what a mistake you're making, but I suppose when you read more of my posts you'll realize I am not at all as you describe. As for my major, I am proud of my college degree, proud of what it took for me to get it, and your pitiful effort to denigrate it makes the knowledge I gained during and after my formal education no less valuable.